Linger
by kirahelena
Summary: Claire couldn't sleep at night, instead wandering the park like a ghost. Claire/Owen multi-chapter set before the events of the first film (may eventually include an AU version of the events of JW and JWFK).
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! New Jurassic World Clawen fic for you all! This one is set before the events of the first movie (I'm going to say about 2 years-ish before) and therefore is going to be slightly AU.**

 **I had originally hoped to get this finished and posted before I went to the midnight showing of JWFK here in the UK (it is awesome beyond words, don't be put off by the mixed reviews people!) but I just couldn't quite end the one shot in the way I wanted or was happy to. So now, two weeks later, I've decided to split it up and extend it out into a multi-chapter fic which will probably end up being around 10ish chapters long.**

 **I'm going on holiday for 2 weeks so unfortunately updates will be quite slow, but I'll do my best to get it out as fast as possible!** **Loved the response I got for 'Falling Apart Together' and I hope you all enjoy this one too! Please please review, I appreciate each and every one and do always try to take feedback on board with my writing! x**

* * *

 _Chapter 1_

* * *

Claire couldn't sleep.

This wasn't uncommon. In fact she spent most nights unable to drift off; tossing and turning restlessly. Her sister always said it was because she worked too hard, too _much._ That she lacked the ability to switch off. Or she would say it was because of the Central American climate: too hot, too humid for a girl from Wisconsin. That she should just give it up and come _home._

The truth was that Claire had always had this problem. Long before she ever accepted a job at Jurassic World. Over the years, she tried anything and everything to resolve the problem and, in the absence of a solution, she became highly functioning on only a few hours sleep.

For the first month after she moved to the island, her insomnia was worse than ever. She would stay up, night after night, making her way through endless budgeting spreadsheets and vacation request emails; anything that would eventually cause her to drift off as her mind numbed.

One night though, even the endless slog of emails wasn't having an effect. On a whim she slipped her silk robe over her set of short pyjamas, shoved some flip flops on her feet, grabbed her security badge and set about exploring the park.

She had been around the park before, of course. As part of her mandatory induction, Masrani had made her do every guided tour available, cover every square inch of the park open to the guests. It was so she understood the _experience,_ the _wonder._ So she had pulled on a baseball cap and the most casual outfit she had brought with her and spent the week milling around the park amongst the hoards of tourists.

It hadn't quite had the effect Masrani was after. She resented every second of those 7 days and, at the end of it, she found herself contemplating whether she made a terrible mistake in accepting the job. She had been sweaty and irritable, annoyed by the endless crowds and what seemed like hours of waiting to catch only the slightest glimpse of creatures (which, if she was being honest, she had little to no interest in to start with) over the heads of parents lifting their screaming children to see.

In contrast, she loved her nighttime exploration. The air was cooler; often a soft breeze would whip through Main Street, offering a reprieve from the unbearable humidity. There were no tourists or park employees anywhere. The times she went meant even the restaurants and bars were closed and empty. The only people she ever bumped into were the park's security guards, who she greeted with a nod that they returned, and, if she ever saw them during the day, they never mentioned her nighttime antics.

The thing she loved most was the quiet. The absence of all the noise that made the park so unappealing to her during the day. At night she could hear the crickets in the grass, the roars and huffs of the various dinosaurs, even the electrical hum of the floodlights.

Claire felt like a ghost (white silk robe and all). She would silently cover all the streets, using her security card to slip into every viewing area, lingering in the ones she liked the best, the dinosaurs (she even had to admit) she found charming in their own way.

After 2 months spending a few hours exploring every night, she had covered every inch of the park. She settled into somewhat of a routine. Every night she would finish her room service and move to the desk in her hotel suite, huddling over her work laptop until 12am. The bars shut at 11pm, but, by midnight, even the stragglers had made their way off the street and back to their rooms. She then pulled on her robe and flip flops and slipped from the room.

Claire would cut through the innovation centre, walking down the huge staircase onto Main Street. Her shoes would echo loudly as she walked past the darkened shop fronts and restaurants. At the corner, she would nod to Larry (she looked up his name in the employee database after walking past him every night for 2 weeks running) as she took a sharp left. Her gaze would linger on the surface of the water of the Mosasaur tank as she walked alongside it, imagining the creature circling below the surface, the ripples on the surface almost ominous in the floodlights, reminding her of a Jaws movie.

Once she past the tank, she would do another sharp right, climb some stairs, scan her badge and slip into the viewing 'log' in the T-Rex paddock. After sampling hours spent in other dinosaur's viewing areas, not wanting to fall into the trap of 'bigger is better', she had still come to the conclusion that the Rex was her favourite. There was something majestic in the way she would move around her paddock, like she _knew_ she was the biggest, the oldest, the Queen of the park. Claire found it oddly enthralling watching her, her huge tail swinging from side to side as she prowled the enclosure, occasionally coming up to the glass and peering in. She had got into the habit of holding her breath whenever the dinosaur did this, knowing if she stayed exactly still the T-Rex couldn't see her.

So that was how she spent her early hours every morning: her back against the wall and knees up under her chin, eyes transfixed on the window. As soon as the clock turned 3, she would stand up and head out of the room with one final glance of the dinosaur over her shoulder. Then she would retrace her steps to her suite, shutoff the lights and attempt to catch a few hours sleep before she was up to do it all again.

She followed this routine every night for 3 weeks when something changed.

Claire still ordered her usual room service, then worked until slipping out her room at midnight. She followed the same path as usual, pausing to briefly nod at Larry on the way past, feeling the usual shiver in her spine as she gazed into the murky water to where the Mosasaur was lurking. In fact every thing remained exactly the same until she climbed the steps to the T-Rex viewing room and opened the door.

Someone was already there.

* * *

Claire hadn't seen the man who was sat in front of the glass before.

She knew he must work here; it was the only way he would have access to the paddock this late at night. She did, however, pride herself at having memorised every employee's face; one of the many things she had done late at night in her first month here. That only meant one thing: he was new.

The door behind her shut with a thud and the man spun round, his gaze falling on her for the first time. All of a sudden she felt self conscious of what she was wearing: the skimpy dressing gown she had been wandering around the island in for weeks suddenly felt revealing and she tightened it further around herself nervously as her gaze ran over him.

One of the first thing she noticed about him was that he was ridiculously attractive; handsome in a rugged caveman sort of way, all broad shoulders, muscly arms and stubble across his face. The second thing she noticed was the smirk that crossed his face as her cheeks flushed a bright red at her first thought. She felt a bubble of annoyance at the cocky expression, partly due to the fact that the person it belonged to was invading _her_ space.

"Hey." He said simply, and she felt a shiver run down her spine as the rumble of his voice filled the room. "Didn't think anyone came here this time of night."

"They don't." She replied bluntly, her back still pressed firmly against the door. At his confused frown, she gave a small shrug, her arms crossed firmly over her chest. "I'm the only one."

He gave a small nod, his attention drawn away by the Rex, who'd come to the glass, pressing her eye against it. She took a deep breath and held it, following her usual ritual as she stood frozen, staring back her. The dinosaur moved on after a moment, tail swinging behind her, knocking through the vegetation.

"She do that often?" The voice interrupted and startled her, having almost forgot the man's presence. She must have looked puzzled as he continued, nodding his head towards the enclosure. "Come up to the glass like that?"

"Oh." She replied uselessly. "Once or twice a night."

His attention had slipped back to the T-Rex as he contemplated her words and she found herself studying him. The whole point she explored the park at night was to be alone, away from all the people. The T-Rex viewing log had quickly become her sanctuary; she found herself feeling soothed as soon as she entered and she didn't like the invasion of her space. She was going to have to find somewhere else to settle at night.

She supposed she could watch the Pachys. They weren't her favourites; she found the way they constantly fought, even in the early hours of the morning, rather irritating. Still, she didn't have much choice unless she headed further out. Only the petting zoo (whose inhabitants actually seemed to sleep at night) or the Mosasaur (who inexplicably freaked her out, something she doubted she needed before trying to sleep).

"I best go." She had opened her mouth and the words fell out rushed and loud, echoing around the room. He shot her an amused look and she realised he must have been talking to her, before she had rudely interrupted, and she felt the colour return to her cheeks.

"Don't leave on my account. Not if you come here every night." He waved his hand indicating that she should sit next to him, and she glanced at the space warily. "Come on, I don't bite."

She rolled her eyes at his playful smirk, finding him charming in spite of herself. She came over and tentatively sat next to him, hugging her knees to her chest as usual.

"I'm Owen." He held a hand out for her to shake and she took it, noticing how small her hands were compared to his.

"Claire." She responded, eyes travelling across his face waiting to see if he put two and two together and realised who she was. Most employees of the park knew her by sight and all of them knew her by name and reputation. She wondered how many of them would recognise her now: her curly hair, glasses and silk robe were a far cry from the business suits, heels and pin straight hair she usually wore.

Luckily, he just squeezed her fingers lightly, his face showing no signs of recognition. "Lovely to meet you Claire." He dropped her hand and grinned at her, which she found herself returning automatically. "You come here every night?" She nodded the affirmative and his face lit up, reminding her of a kid at a theme park. "Can I ask you some questions?"

"Sure." She frowned at him, playing with the hem of her robe. "What about?"

"Rexie." He nodded his head towards the dinosaur who was now prowling in the far corner.

She let out a surprised laugh and he looked at her strangely. "Rexie?"

"What do you call her then?" He frowned.

"The T-Rex." She replied slowly, assuming it was obvious. He scoffed at that, shaking his head at her. "What? What's wrong with that?" She replied indignantly.

"You do realise these creatures are alive, right?"

"Of course." She replied pointedly. "And you do realise they aren't pets, right?"

Instead of being annoyed like she thought he would, he let out a low chuckle which she felt rumble through her. "Of course." He echoed.

"Why do you want to know about her?" She asked curiously, noticing the open notebook he had next to him.

"I'm taking a few shifts here with Rexie until my lot hatch." She smiled to herself at that. Of course he was a handler; based on his appearance and behaviour it was almost impossible to imagine him in another role. "Wanted to observe her behaviour before I worked with her."

"Oh." She said again, kicking herself at being unable to form a normal conversation. "Well, what do you want to know?"

He eagerly started asking questions and she surprised herself at how much she knew about the dinosaur and her behaviour. Clearly she'd picked up more on her night time visits than she'd first thought; her answers filling up pages of his notepad.

Her eyes drifted to the clock and she suddenly jumped to her feet, slipping her flip flops back on. He looked up alarmed at her and she tried to fight against the blush rising to her cheeks. "It's almost 3am."

"What happens if you stay up past 3?" He asked curiously, a lazy smile on his face. "You turn into a pumpkin?"

She couldn't fight her blush this time, especially as his eyes travelled to her red hair. "I just need to sleep." She responded stupidly.

Luckily he seemed to take pity on her, rising to his feet and offering his hand to her again, squeezing her fingers softly. "It was great to meet you Claire."

"You too, Owen." She replied honestly, smiling up at him. She was surprised to find the sentiment was true; she really had enjoyed her night spent talking to him.

"Will I be seeing you tomorrow night?"

"You're coming again?" She blurted out, wincing at herself as she realised how it sounded.

"If that's okay?" He sounded apprehensive for the first time that night, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can come another time. After 3?"

"No." She assured him quickly. "No, it's fine. I'll see you tomorrow Owen."

"See you tomorrow, Claire."

She headed back to her room, slipping into bed and falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for all the faves/follows! It's the most I've ever got on a story- even those I've wrote which are 50k+ words so I'm truly grateful. All your reviews were great too, so much so that you've inspired me to finish and post this chapter in spite of being on holiday.**

 **Please please leave a review, even if it's only a few words long. It really helps me to know what you like and motivates me to update quicker! I appreciate you all x**

* * *

 _Chapter 2_

* * *

As soon as Claire was at work the next day she found herself searching the employee database for Owen. It didn't take long to find him, even with only a first name, not now she knew he was a handler.

Her eyes travelled over his file, reading his impressive work history in the Navy. She could almost picture him in his uniform and a blush rose to her cheeks as the image involuntarily invaded her mind. She clicked onto his current job description. Raptors. Interesting.

She had not been quiet in her dislike of InGen's Velociraptor research, always feeling there was something not quite _right_ about the motive's behind it. Not to mention the attraction would not actually provide the park with any additional customer interest or money, something that irked her as a large portion of her job was budgeting. She had already decided weeks ago that she disliked the people on the project on principal without having met them; the endless meetings having put her firmly off them.

Owen Grady being the lead behaviourist on the project threw a spanner in the works. She _liked_ him, even though his personality was the polar opposite to hers. She was already eagerly awaiting that evening, when she would see him again. She hadn't even realised how lonely she'd been since starting this job.

Her sister had noticed though; it was one of the things she always brought up whenever Claire would accept a phone call. 'You're lonely, Claire.' Karen would say. 'You need to meet someone. A man. Time is running out. You don't want to waste the best years of your life alone.'

She took it all without comment, refraining from arguing against her; saying how she didn't need anyone, how her career was enough to keep her happy. Claire had believed the words at the time, as she thought them. Now though...now she wondered how she had never realised how she was lying even to herself. No amount of work could keep someone company at night.

It was funny how a few hours spent with a particular person could change your whole opinion on everything. Just the one night with Owen and she was beginning to doubt everything she had convinced herself was true for all these years. The thought terrified her. She could almost see Karen laughing to herself, saying her usual 'I told you so', from where she was.

* * *

The night after she first met him she slipped into the viewing room not long after 12am, closing the door silently behind her. She greeted him quietly, and he jumped slightly before turning and greeting her with a smile.

"You're like a ghost." He said to her, later that night. "Especially in that robe. Keep sneaking up on me."

She mumbled an apology, running a hand through her curls in attempt to hide her blush as he chuckled.

"Don't apologise." He told her with a grin which was almost already becoming familiar to her, despite them having only met twice. "It's useful out here. Means you have the upper hand."

She highly doubted that it was a skill that was useful in a budgeting meeting but she refrained from saying so; remembering in time that he didn't know her as Claire Dearing, Operations Manager. No, to him she was just _Claire_ and she was delighted to find out that she still was a person worth knowing.

"Doubt it'd fool her." She replied instead, nodding her head towards the T-Rex who was investigating a section of the paddock which had been cornered off for construction; bumping her nose on the temporary wall that had been erected, almost like an overgrown puppy. "She'd eat me in a second."

"Not if you stayed still. She wouldn't be able to see you." Owen responded, tipping his head thoughtfully. "But you already knew that. You do it when Rexie comes to the glass."

She blushed at that, looking away in embarrassment as she tried to stammer out an answer. "How...when did you know?"

"I suspected last night. The second or third time she came up to the glass. Knew for sure the first time I saw you do it tonight." He surveyed her silently, almost as though he was trying to solve a particularly vexing puzzle and she couldn't help but shift under his scrutiny. "My question is why do you do it?"

She let that hang in the air for a moment, formulating a response that didn't make her sound completely insane. In the end she settled on the truth; something she would never do if she was being 'Claire Dearing'. "Sometimes it's nice to be invisible."

His expression was appraising, like she passed some unknown test of his. "I know what you mean. I don't think you could ever be truly invisible though, Claire. Not to me."

She gaped at him silently at that, his words causing a warm buzz to run through her. Luckily, she was saved from answering by him picking up his notebook, asking her another question about the T-Rex and the conversation staying on the dinosaur the rest of the evening.

Still when she slipped between her sheets that night, the comment played on repeat in her brain; trying to work out exactly what he meant by it.

* * *

On the third night Claire met Owen, she entered the viewing room to find him in a dressing gown and flip flops.

She asked him about it without thinking, the words tumbling from her mouth as he once again jumped at her presence. "You're dressed differently." It came out as more of an accusation than a question.

"Jesus, I'm going to get a bell for you or something." He teased gruffly, holding a hand over his heart for effect.

"Your clothes." She repeated again, shaking her head at his antics as she settled on the ground next to him.

He just shrugged, a smirk playing on his face. "Taking a leaf out of your book. Pyjamas are far more comfortable. Plus, I was beginning to feel overdressed for these dates."

She bit her tongue to stop herself from commenting on how her silk robe alone was probably worth three times more than his entire usual outfit. Instead, a smile played at the corner of her mouth. "These aren't dates." She replied simply.

He exaggerated an expression of mock hurt, her eye roll in response involuntary. "They're not?!"

"Nope." She let the 'p' fall from her mouth with an exaggerated pop. "My dates usually involve something to drink, normal clothes and they don't usually happen at night. And the topic of conversation is not usually dinosaurs for the whole time."

"Your dates sound no fun." He countered, frowning at her thoughtfully.

They weren't, hence the fact she was still alone, but she wasn't going to admit that to him. She found herself wishing that she would get to go on a real date with Owen. The virtual stranger with his rugged looks, gentle teasing and general fascination with all things nature and dinosaurs. He was the exact opposite of everyone she had ever dated in the past and she couldn't help but think if he knew her, the _real_ her (in business suits, talking about numbers and 'asset viability' rather than discussing a T-Rex's personality in the middle of the night), he would run the other way.

"Are you saying you're more fun?" She asked him, a playful smile on her face as she twisted so she was facing him.

"Let's just say I know how to show a lady a good time." He gave her an exaggerated wink and her mouth fell open in shock. His smirk widened on his face and a surprised giggle fell from her lips.

Before long she was laughing so hard she could barely breath, while he was looking at her warily, clearly afraid she'd gone insane or something. Claire, however, felt free; she couldn't even remember the last time she laughed like this.

"That was one of the worst come-on lines anyone has ever used on me." She managed to get out, before dissolving into another fit of giggles at his indignant look and protests.

A split second later he joined in with her laughter; the sounds of her giggles and his deep chuckle filling the viewing room.

* * *

The fourth night found him greeting her with a travel cup extended out towards her which she accepted skeptically.

"It's herbal tea." He said when he noticed she hadn't taken a sip. "I've got coffee in mine but I figured you wouldn't want caffeine this late at night."

"Thank you." She replied sincerely. It was sweet that he thought about it, thought about _her_. No one had done anything sweet for her in a long time. "You didn't have to."

He just shrugged, muttering under his breath how it was no trouble before he launched into telling her about the differences he'd noticed between the T-Rex and Raptor behaviours. She sipped her tea as he rambled on enthusiastically, surprised that she was genuinely interested in what he was talking about.

He trailed off around the same time that she drained the final dregs from the cup. "How did you know I wouldn't want caffeine?" She blurted all of a sudden.

Owen shot her a weird look, as though the fact should have been obvious to her all along. "You come here several hours a night in your pyjamas Claire. I doubt you're the type of person who sleeps well at night, and caffeine certainly wouldn't help that."

She pursed her lips slightly as she mulled his words over, realising just how obvious she was to him. "You need caffeine though."

"Tonight...yeah. Need to find out about Rexie. Most nights... I don't know. I don't sleep all that good either."

In that moment Owen looked older than he had in all the time she had known him and Claire could see the tiredness etched onto his face. She couldn't help but cast her mind back to his personnel file; his history in the navy, the bits that weren't redacted were certainly impressive, but she had no doubt that they were the cause of his restlessness.

She didn't comment on this, however. "My sister keeps telling me that it's the humidity here that is the reason I can't sleep. Not taking into account the fact I haven't really slept years before I moved here."

She laughed bitterly and he couldn't help but join in. A smile crossed his face; a small genuine one that she realised he wore every time she revealed something personal about herself. Every time she saw it on his face it made her want to say something else, keep the smile there longer.

It alarmed her how quickly and deeply she was falling for Owen. She doubted there was much she could do to stop it.

* * *

The fifth day Owen dropped all conversation about dinosaurs, instead asking her questions about herself. She was reluctant to answer at first, used to keeping her private life very much _private_ especially at work (she had to remind herself that she wasn't at work, she was in her pyjamas in the middle of the night and he did not know who she was).

She had of course shared bits of herself with him over the last few days but it had always been on her terms; with her supplying pieces of herself she was willing to. She realised that until tonight he had never asked her a single personal question about herself. Her mind flicked back to the smile which would always form when she told him a personal fact from her life and she realised she would tell him anything.

"Wisconsin." She responded to his question, still feeling tense in spite of his easy smile. "I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin."

After an hour or so she relaxed, answering his questions with a smile and asking ones of her own, enjoying his tales of his life in the Navy. She never asked him anything too serious, having read enough in his file to realise that a lot of it was probably a sore subject. Instead she asked him about safe things; the toilet conditions, the people he met, places he saw and enjoyed his animated retelling of it all.

At the end of the evening he gave her a brief hug, which left her nerve endings on fire, and a brief promise to meet the next night. She was not willing to dwell on how she would feel if she didn't see him.

* * *

Instead of working before she headed out on the sixth night, Claire accepted a call from her sister. She was willing to admit she didn't speak to Karen as much as she should; always avoiding her calls where possible. It wasn't that she didn't like speaking to her sister, and she _did_ miss her, it was that Karen always had the ability to make her feel like a failure, something she had inherited from their mother. She realised it sounded harsh, but she never liked to remind herself of the personality traits that she didn't like about herself.

That night's conversation was different though.

"You sound happy." Karen accused. "Have you met someone?"

"No." She denied quickly. "I'm just sleeping better."

"Did you finally take up yoga like I told you?"

Claire let out an exasperated sigh at that; yoga being the most recent thing that Karen was convinced was going to cure her insomnia. "No, I haven't done yoga."

"Well, what did you try?"

She hesitated at that, sure that her sister wouldn't approve of her nighttime adventuring. "Herbal tea." It wasn't a total lie; she had slept better the last few nights after the herbal tea Owen had brought her, she just wasn't sure it was the cause.

"Herbal tea." Karen muttered under her breath. "I should have thought of that."

Claire couldn't contain her eye roll at that, steering the conversation towards her nephews instead, before she said something she regretted.

She arrived in the viewing room half hour later than usual, unable to extract herself from the phone call.

"Thought you weren't coming." Owen said as soon as she sat next to him, accepting the tea he gave her. "I was lonely."

She rolled her eyes at his fake wounded expression. "As if I would stand you up." She teased back, not missing a beat.

* * *

A week after she first met Owen, Claire walked into the viewing room to find it empty. She frowned and took her usual seat in front of the glass, hugging her knees to her chest and watching the T-Rex roam her enclosure. As though sensing her presence, she made her way to the glass, peering in as she usually did. Claire held her breath and stayed as still as she could, enjoying being invisible for a moment. She sat there, waiting, until 3am when she stood and made her way back home.

She slid into her bed and tossed and turned until morning; sleep always just out of her grasp.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wow. I am blown away by the response to this story, you are all amazing! This one is a bit longer, got a bit carried away with a Claire and Owen. It's definitely slipping into AU territory now. I hope you all enjoy it and please please leave a review; I love all your feedback! x**

* * *

 _Chapter 3_

* * *

Claire headed to her office the next morning, the largest coffee she could buy clutched in her hand. As much as she loved her job, she would've done anything to stay in bed that morning, the lack of sleep making her head pound loudly.

She hadn't slept all night, finally seeming to drop off as her alarm went off, which she almost slept through. She had then laid in bed for far too long, rushing to straighten her hair and actually leaving the suite and reaching the elevator before she realised she hadn't put her contacts in.

The lack of Owen had thrown her the night before; far more than it should considering she only had met him a week ago. She was irrationally annoyed at him; she knew he didn't owe her anything and yet she couldn't help feeling like a woman stood up on a date. She was just willing herself to work swiftly through her emails and return home, preferably without seeing anyone.

Her plan was immediately ruined as she was cut off before she could reach the door by a frantic looking Zara, her assistant buzzing nervously. "I wouldn't have let him in but he insisted that he had an appointment, wouldn't take no for an answer."

Claire frowned at her. "Who?"

"I knew he didn't have an appointment." She muttered under her breath. "Do you want me to get rid of him?"

"Zara, who?" She snapped, her headache worsening, almost immediately regretting taking her bad mood out on her assistant.

"Owen Grady."

Claire sharply inhaled, ignoring Zara's look of confusion. "It's fine. I'll deal with him."

She headed past her assistant, opening the door to her office and leaning against it as it closed. Owen was sat in the chair in front of her desk, not noticing her presence as he studied his phone. She felt oddly nervous; she was so different from how she was at night. It was part of the reason she was glad he didn't seem to know who she was (she felt foolish now it was obvious he clearly did). She wondered if he would still want to spend time to her when he saw what she was really like.

"Hey." She greeted softly.

He jumped and turned towards her, a smirk on his face. "Still a ghost during the day then." His eyes traveled over her figure, lingering on her white suit. "Still in white as well."

She blushed slightly as she walked towards him, going to sit in her chair but pausing, the desk between them seeming too formal. Instead she awkwardly leant on the desk in front of him, setting her coffee down next to her. "How did you find me?"

He looked at her in disbelief. "You're the Park's Operations Manager. Everyone knows who you are."

"You never said anything." She accused, her voice raising slightly. She hated the tone of voice she was using, aware of how needy and petulant she sounded.

"I'm sorry I didn't come last night." He changed the subject, resting a hand on her knee and she tried not to shiver and flinch away from the contact.

She glanced away at that, playing with the edge of her jacket. "Doesn't matter." She lied.

She didn't have to look up to see his eye roll, knowing he did it anyway. "Fell asleep."

"Oh." She hated how she always seemed to become inarticulate around him. "Like I said it doesn't matter."

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he squeezed her knee gently, before sitting back in his chair and releasing his hold on her leg. Goosebumps raised on her skin at the area he had touched, and she found herself missing the warmth of his touch. "It _does_ matter. I stood you up."

"It wasn't a date." She pointed out stubbornly. "So you couldn't have stood me up."

A grin crossed his face and he reached forward to pick up her stapler from her desk, fiddling with it absently. She resisted the urge to snatch it out of his hands, knowing he was going to replace it in the wrong place. "I wanted to talk to you about that actually. It's why I'm here."

"I thought you were here to apologise." She winced at how snippy and bitter she sounded. Luckily, Owen didn't seem to take offence, a lazy chuckle falling from his mouth instead.

"Nah. That was actually only part of it." He placed the stapler back and she instinctively moved to straighten it, reaching out to pick her coffee up instead when she saw him watching her. "Think we should reconsider this whole 'we're not going on dates' thing."

She choked slightly on her coffee, not expecting that to be what he said. "You want to go on a date?" She checked slowly. "With me?"

He shot her an incredulous look, as though it had been obvious all along. She supposed it had. "Yes with you, Claire. Who else?" She shrugged awkwardly. "I got everything I needed to know about Rexie after 2 nights. I kept coming back to see you."

A soft smile and a blush crossed her face at his admittance, followed by a wave of panic. He may know her role at the park but he didn't _know_ what she was like at work, during that day. She was scared he wouldn't like what he found. "You don't really know me." She blurted. "I'm different at night."

"How so?" He asked, but the look on his face suggested he was just humouring her.

"I'm a control freak. People say I'm a bitch. I don't show my feelings. I work too hard, all the time. I...I'm just different." She admitted softly.

He appeared to mull her words over before reaching out and offering her his hand, which she took suspiciously. He just held it in his, squeezing it gently as he looked her in the eye. "Claire. You can be all of those things at night too."

She moved to rip her hand from his, feeling slightly embarrassed, but he tightened his grip. "Look, I know all those things about you but they aren't the only things about you worth knowing. I never told you I knew who you were because I liked how you were relaxed- well, as relaxed as _you_ are ever going to be- around me. I like you, Claire."

She blushed and looked down at her lap, avoiding his eyes. "Okay." She mumbled. "One date."

Claire could tell he was pleased without looking at him. She was having trouble letting any excitement for the event come in, the panic that he would change his mind about her completely outweighing it. He seemed to sense this, opening his mouth to offer a compromise. "How about tonight we meet in the T-Rex viewing area like normal. I'll bring some food and something to drink, we'll both wear normal clothes and I won't talk about dinosaurs. But it'll still be at night. So it's only 3/4 of a date."

She let out a surprised giggle at that, some of the tension leaving her at his easy teasing. "What do you wear on 3/4 of a date?"

"Please wear 3/4 of an outfit." He eyed her up and down and gave her a flirty wink.

She snatched her hand from his to lightly hit his shoulder, laughter still bubbling out of her. He stood and pulled her in for a quick hug, briefly placing a kiss on her cheek. She felt her cheeks darker at the gesture, a small part of her wanting to throw caution to the wind and turn her head, so his lips would meet her lips instead. He had pulled back before she acted on the urge and for that she was glad.

"I'll see you tonight then, Claire."

"You better not stand me up again."

He turned with his hand on the door, a smirk on his face. "I didn't stand you up last night. I couldn't: it wasn't a date, remember?"

Her responding eye roll was involuntary, as was the wide smile that was on her face, even after he left. She didn't feel tired anymore; her fatigue from earlier making way for her sense of nervous trepidation about that evening. She wasn't sure whether she was looking forward to it or dreading it but she did know one thing.

She really liked Owen too.

* * *

Instead of working until it was time to leave, Claire spent the hours leading up to midnight anxiously scrolling through her wardrobe desperately trying to work out what to wear.

She wasn't sure what you were supposed to wear on a date which was effectively a picnic at 1am, but she was sure her usual date night outfits weren't appropriate. She skipped over her fancy designer dresses and heels, instead trying to pick out the best of her casual clothes. She didn't have much; most of her time on the island was spent in business suits and she had packed appropriately.

In the end she settled on a pair of jeans, though she wasn't going to admit to Owen that she had to remove the tag as she pulled them on. She then stood in her bra and skinny jeans, throwing top after top onto her bed.

She couldn't believe she agreed to the date at all. Usually, she would refuse; the only dates she'd been on in the past few years had been perfectly safe. In other words, she hadn't really cared for their outcome, only accepting the offers from people who were right on paper and yet she felt no real connection to.

Owen was different. She really liked him. He was so different to anyone she had ever been out with in the past; more genuine, saying what he was thinking and not seeming worried what anyone thinks. She found it refreshing: his honesty. And she loved how he seemed to understand her, even without her disclosing much about herself.

In the end she pulled a silk blouse out, absently noticing it was white and picturing Owen's smile when he saw it. She straightened her hair as if on autopilot, the motion was soothing to her, almost like she was putting on her armour for the evening. She put her contacts in after, throwing her glasses onto the side before checking the time. 11.55pm. She supposed she should leave.

She dragged her feet on the way to the T-Rex enclosure; her nerves were overpowering her. She wandered slowly along Main Street, happy for the long walk in order to calm herself. It's just like any other night, she told herself, stop freaking out so much.

The only issue with that was that she knew it wasn't like any other night, she _knew_ the intention behind the evening was different. And, as much as she liked Owen, she wished for a moment that it was a week and a half ago, and she was just heading to the viewing room for a night by herself watching the dinosaur.

Eventually she couldn't stretch out the journey any longer and she was stood outside the door, taking a deep breath to find the nerve to go in. She pulled the door open and silently shut it behind her; it was a habit now, not being heard, just like not being seen when the T-Rex came to the glass.

Her breath caught when she saw what he'd done. There was a picnic blanket on the floor; nothing special, it was tartan and obviously had been used a lot, the edges showing signs of wear. He'd brought some cushions with him too, scattered them around the rug. Amongst all the cushions, Owen had laid out some food, far more than the two of them could possibly eat and she was glad she had made the decision to skip dinner.

It wasn't any of that which had left her leaning against the door speechless. No, it was the lights he had strung up around the room; tiny lights, on a string, which cast a soft yellow glow around the room.

"Wow." She managed to breath out and Owen, who had up until this point been sat in his usual position watching the dinosaur with his back to her, jumped to his feet, a grin forming in his face as he spotted her.

"You've got to stop doing that, Claire." He said, crossing the room towards her, the smile never leaving his face and one finding its way into hers automatically. He gave her a low appreciative whistle, which if it had come from anyone else would end in her wanting to slap them, but as it was him her face flushed with colour instead. "You look...wow. Have I ever told you how good you look in white?"

He steps forwards and pulls her in for a quick hug, kissing her cheek in that carefree manner of his. As he stepped back she caught sight of his outfit for the first time, resisting the urge to purse her lips in distaste. _Board shorts._ She wondered if he would still wear them if this were a proper date, if he took her to a restaurant or a bar. It wouldn't surprise her if he did, and the image it conjured up was so wonderfully _Owen_ a smile was brought to her face instead.

"You've brought a lot of food." She states instead of commenting on what he was wearing, cringing at her own awkwardness.

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, his gaze shifting to the picnic he had laid out on the rug. "I didn't know what you liked. So I got some of everything."

It struck her in that moment that he was nervous too, in spite of the easy manner he usually portrayed. The realisation calmed her own nerves tremendously and she allowed him to lead her to the blanket, settling against the cushions and accepting the wine he had poured for her. It was red and she usually drank white but she was willing to drink anything if it would take away the nervous edge she had.

Owen asked her something about her sister and soon she found herself calming as they fell into their usual conversation; Claire occasionally blushing and stammering at something he said, he was being much freer with his compliments tonight. After he cleaned the food away (there was so much left, even after Claire had picked her way through 2 plates full), he pulled her to his side. She went willing, enjoying the feeling of his arm around her, resting her head on his shoulder. She had drained 3 glasses of wine and the warmth of the alcohol had mellowed her, and she was feeling content to relax against his broad chest.

She broke the rule about not talking about dinosaurs first, interrupting the silence which had grown between them as they sat watching Rexie. "Why did you want to work here? With the dinosaurs?"

He lightly squeezed her shoulder, and she caught the wry smile on his face from the corner of her eye. "Why did you?"

"You can't turn my own question against me." She huffed indignantly, and yet still answered regardless. "I didn't want to work with dinosaurs. But the job came up and it was a promotion. What I'd been working towards."

"Me too." He replied, turning his head to grin at her.

She gaped at him in surprise. "But you love dinosaurs" She spluttered. "And you know so much about them!"

"I love animals." He corrected, starting to absently trace circles on her arm and she shivered at the contact. "I've worked with animals before. In the navy and after, so it just was a bit of natural progression. I read up on them a lot before starting the job. But at the end of the day, dinosaurs are just animals. Big scary extinct animals."

She let out a laugh at that, turning her head into him more. "I have another question." He hummed as a sign for her to continue. "Why didn't you let me know that you knew who I was?"

"I already told you." He protested but she pulled a face and he sighed, answering regardless. "It wasn't important Claire. I knew who you were but know I also know who you _are._ Part of me was going to let you go that first night when you offered to. I'd heard what people had said about you and I thought you'd be bad company. But something stopped me. I think it's the fact you're gorgeous."

She poked his ribs at his teasing, a blush darkening her cheeks. "Stop it."

He winked at her. "It's the truth. The longer I spoke to you the more I discovered about you. The real you. I was scared that if I told you I knew who you were you'd shut that off. Go back to being the Claire people expect you to be."

"What if that Claire is who I really am?" She whispered.

"It's not." He replied adamantly. "It's part of you, but it's not the full you. There's lots of parts of you, too many to keep up with. It's what I like. You, Claire Dearing, are utterly confusing."

He announced that proudly and she resisted the urge to shy away from it. That's what everyone says at first and, in the end, whatever they found _confusing_ or _endearing_ quickly turned into _exhausting._ Owen had a gleam in his eye as he said it and she found herself hoping more than anything that he was different.

Their moment was interrupted when the T-Rex approached the glass and she instinctively stiffened in his arms, holding her breath as she remained still. "Why do you like being invisible?" Owen asked after the dinosaur had walked off.

"You should know why. You said you understood." She pointed out.

"I understand why I want to be invisible. I'm asking about you." She almost hated his insightful nature at times.

She let the silence drag out between them as she contemplated her answer. "Everyone always expects something from you." She answered finally. "Even when they say otherwise there is something they want or someone who they want you to be. If you're invisible you can just be you."

"I don't expect anything from you." He protested immediately.

"Of course you do." She answered with a wry smile. "You expect me to be myself."

He responded slowly, as if she was a particularly perplexing puzzle. "Which is what you want."

"Still an expectation though." She pointed out as he let out a chuckle.

He raised a hand to her face, his finger drawing her chin up to face him. "You're a very easy woman to like and want to know, Claire Dearing."

That's not what everyone else says, she thinks, and then, suddenly, she wasn't thinking at all because his lips were on hers and that was all she could focus on. He kissed like she expected him too; slow and thorough, with almost a casual air to it. He kissed until she forgot all about her nerves for the evening, all about anything in fact. He kissed her until the only thing she could remember was that she was Claire and he was Owen.

He pulled back and her eyelids fluttered, still half closed, until he tugged a little on the end of her hair and her eyes flew open to meet his. "Your hair's straight." He commented.

She hummed in agreement. "I always wear it straight."

"Not when I usually see you." He argued.

"Because I wash it at night and don't straighten it until morning."

"I like it curly." He was carding his fingers through her hair now. "It's more wild."

She snorted with laughter involuntarily. Wild was never a word that had been used to describe her before. She didn't answer him, however, just pressed her lips against his again, revelling at the way his hands clutched at her back, pinning her desperately to him.

When she pulled back that time she was panting slightly and he gave a light chuckle; she was so close to him she could feel the vibrations rumble through her own body. "It's past 3." He murmured absently

"Doesn't matter." He pulled back in shock at that, looking at her incredulously. She let out a small giggle, realising he was thinking about the woman he first met who freaked out when she realised the time. "Tomorrow's Saturday. I don't have to work."

She refrained from mentioning the fact that she had worked every weekend since she started the job, and the fact that everyone at work would probably have a panic attack when they realised she wasn't in.

"I don't have to work either. Let's do something" He replied excitedly.

"Two days running?" She could hardly keep the skepticism out of her voice.

"Consider it the remaining 1/4 of our date." He replied, unfazed at her lack of enthusiasm. "I have a great idea on what to do. Do you have any hiking boots?"

She gave him a look suggesting it was a stupid question to ask her, which luckily he quickly realised. "Never mind, I'll borrow some for you. What size shoe are you?"

She answered, letting him pull her to her feet after moving so she was pressed against his chest.

"We better go." He murmured. "Otherwise we'll be too tired for our date tomorrow."

"I never agreed to a date." She protested weakly.

Owen dipped his head to capture her lips with his again, nibbling softly on her lower lip until her breath was escaping her in small pants. "Go on a date with me tomorrow."

"That's unfair." Was all she was able to get out, the pout on her lips so unlike her.

He just kissed it quickly away. "I'll pick you up at 2pm tomorrow. Outside yours."

She didn't ask how he knew where she lived; it was pretty obvious that she was the type of person who would stay in the upper level hotel employee suites. Instead she just left with the feel of his lips lingering on hers and a smile on her face, already looking forward to seeing him the next day. It was almost alarming how little she cared about the fact she was missing work, instead pleased for the day off. She decided it wasn't necessarily an unwelcome change as she finally slipped into bed not long after 4am. She was having fun.

Claire quickly dropped off to sleep with thoughts of Owen in her head and the feel of his touch still lingering on her.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Another day, another chapter I was totally not expecting to write and post for at least another week. You have all been so amazing with your reviews and response, however, you're inspiring me to finish these even quicker than I was trying to! You've all been great and I honestly can't thank you enough for all your feedback Please keep reviewing! x**

* * *

 _Chapter 4_

* * *

When Claire woke the next morning and checked the time she flew into a panic, thinking she had slept through her alarm and missed work. She was out of bed and halfway across the room to her wardrobe when the previous night came back to her and she realised she had decided not to go in that day.

She pulled her robe on and settled back on the bed, picking up her phone to order some room service now she realised she had three hours to kill before Owen picked her up.

 _Owen._ An unbidden smile rose on her face at even the thought of his name and she wondered when she had turned into a love-sick teenager. She hadn't even been like this when she was a teenager; in fact, she'd _never_ been like this. Karen would be almost insufferable when she saw what she was like.

The thought of telling her sister about Owen filled her with a sense of dread. She wished she had the sort of relationship with Karen like she saw other people have with their sisters; confidants who laughed and joked about boys and dating history. They'd been a bit like that when they were younger, back when Claire had been in 3rd grade and had a crush on a boy named Jake and Karen had been in 8th grade and utterly loved up with her middle school boyfriend Cameron. They'd share stories late at night; giggling loudly until their mom would come upstairs and tell them to _shut up_ , the age difference seeming almost non existent. That was before the distance between them widened into a nearly insurmountable amount and their conversations became almost stiff; Claire using her best avoidance tactics while Karen attempted to mother her.

She was sure that Karen would have an opinion on Owen, despite her always nagging her to meet someone for years now. She would say that she didn't know him enough, had only met him a week ago and she needed to be careful not to get too invested. Claire had all the same worries herself and she knew if they grew any bigger she'd do something stupid, like running away.

She forced her thoughts away from Karen as her breakfast turned up, collecting her omelette from the door and turning her mind to this afternoon instead. She realised she hadn't asked him what their plans were; the only thing she knew was that it required her to wear hiking boots. Part of her knew that even if she had asked, Owen would have refuse to tell her. He was definitely the sort of man who revelled in surprises. She was the exact opposite, however, liking to know and plan everything down to last meticulous detail. He was either going to be really good for her or frustrate the Hell out of her. Claire was betting on it being both.

She pulled herself out of bed and into the shower two hours before Owen said he'd meet her outside. After she washed her hair, she dried it, standing in her towel and automatically reaching for her straighteners before hesitating for a moment. Owen said he liked her hair curly and, although she wasn't the type of person to do anything because a man wanted her to, it was a lot of effort to straighten it. Instead she left it hanging in curls, running her fingers through them slightly to make them a little more tidy.

Claire then began the ardenous task of standing in front of her wardrobe, deciding what to wear again. This time most of her clothes were off limit to her; only a small selection of her clothing was even remotely acceptable to be worn for any activity that involved hiking boots. She eventually pulled a pair of denim shorts from within, deciding it was far too hot for jeans. The only issue she had was deciding what top to wear.

All she owned really were blouses and smart tops, and, ideally, she needed to be wearing a t-shirt. The only problem was that the only t-shirt she had was the official 'Jurassic World' tourist one Mr Masrani had insisted she wear during her induction week. She reluctantly pulled it over her head, not seeing a way out of wearing it and the whole time picturing Owen's smirk in her head. He was going to love this.

She looked in the mirror a few minutes before she was due to leave and barely recognised the woman staring back. Her hair hung in wild curls and she had only applied light makeup so her freckles were showing through. Her outfit was casual and she had slipped some flip flops on temporarily, knowing that Owen was bringing hiking boots for her. The woman in the mirror looked carefree and happy; like she belonged on an island in the middle of Central America. Her usual self looked far from it.

Claire made her way outside the hotel, feeling quite awkward as she stood in full sight of any tourists or other staff who walked past. She felt exposed being dressed like this and seen by others; the only people who had seen her remotely casual since she stepped foot on the island were Larry the security guard and Owen.

* * *

Claire had been barely waiting 2 minutes when a motorbike pulled up and her jaw dropped when Owen stepped off, grinning at her from ear to ear.

"I'm not getting on that." She refused immediately as he approached her, accepting the boots he held out for her.

"Hello to you too." He responded dryly, leaning in for a quick kiss.

She returned it with a deeper one, curling her free hand into the hairs at back of his neck. "Shouldn't you be wearing a helmet on that thing anyway?"

He rolled his eyes at her, holding out a hand to steady her as she pulled the shoes on. "It's fine." He dismissed easily. "And yeah you are getting on it as I don't have a car."

She finished lacing the boots and pulled back from him while letting out a huff of frustration. "Then we'll go in mine."

"You don't know where we're going." He protested, climbing on the bike and waving for her to get on behind him.

"Just tell me where we're going then!" She called out, her fear disguised as annoyance towards him. She didn't want to get on that death trap; especially not without a helmet.

"Claire, just get on the damn bike and hold onto me. I'm not going to tell you were we're going as it'll ruin the surprise."

"There is no way in Hell you'll get me on that thing." She said, crossing her arms in defiance. She was trying not to let her voice waver, acting as though it was because she didn't want to be seen on a bike, rather than the fact the idea terrified her. She wasn't good with most forms of transport.

Regardless of her efforts, Owen seemed to guess the problem and softened his expression, patting the seat behind him. "Come on Claire. You just need to get on and hold on tight to me. I won't go too fast. Promise."

Reluctantly she climbed onto the bike behind him, sitting stiffly and resting her hands tentatively on his waist. As soon as he started the engine, however, she circled her arms fully around him, digging her fingers into him in a way that must have hurt (though he never once complained) and buried her face into the back of his shoulder, squeezing her eyes tightly together.

After a while though, with the feel of her hair whipping around her, she relaxed marginally. Still keeping her death grip on his waist, she raised her head warily. The sight of the scenery rushing around her, the woods she barely noticed from the comfort of her Mercedes when she had to go through them for work, should have made her feel sick. Instead she felt freer then she had in years. She caught sight of Owen in one of the mirrors, noticing the grin on his face and surprised to find she had one on hers too. A bubble of laughter made its way through and soon she was laughing so hard she was sure she had tears running down her face but she couldn't bring herself to care.

They stopped on the foothills at the base of the volcano, Owen easily climbing off the bike and holding his hand out to Claire, who clambered off in a manner which she was sure was a whole lot less graceful. He didn't let go of her hand, just squeezing it lightly as he grinned down at her. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

She glared at him, refraining from commenting. She reached up a patted her hair slightly. "My hair must be completely wild."

"Yeah." He used his free hand to tuck the hair behind her ear. "It's hot."

She rolled her eyes at that, her cheeks turning the same colour as her hair. He dipped his head and captured her lips softly, and she chased after him, needily raising her self up on her toes to keep the contact when he straightened and went to pull away. He chuckled against her, the sound causing shivers to run through her.

"This is cute." She wondered what he was talking about for a moment before realising his gaze was fixed onto her 'Jurassic World' top.

"It was the only top I had." She mumbled sheepishly, tugging on the bottom of it slightly. "Got it when I toured the park for my induction.

"Well I like it." He declared enthusiastically, a wink thrown towards her. "Very touristy."

He let go of her hand briefly to collect the rucksack he had on the back of his bike, pulling it on, retaking his hold on her hand and grinning at her. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what? You never told me what our plans were." She responded almost petulantly, standing her ground as he tugged on her arm to try and get her to go closer to him.

"A picnic." He bounced so the backpack rustled, as though giving her a hint. "I know this great spot up the volcano. We're just going to follow the hiking trails up there."

She tried to hold in her groan (she really did) but it made its way out of her anyway, the distaste of the activity clear on her face. Luckily, it didn't seem to phase Owen, whose smile only seemed to broaden further. "I'm not really one for the outdoors." She said, as diplomatically as she could muster.

A chuckle fell out of him at that and he shook his head slightly at her. "Yeah, I know that. But trust me; it'll be fun!"

* * *

2 hours later and Claire was about ready to scream from the top of her lungs that this was most definitely in no way at all _fun._ In fact, she was cursing the day she ever met Owen at all, wishing that she was happily tucked in her air conditioned office. The conversation between them had stopped around about the point where the slope had increased and her breath was coming out in large puffs, to the point she doubted she could form a sentence if she tried. Instead, they had been alternating between silence and Owen's cheerful humming; the sound of which made her want to stomp hard on his foot so he was as miserable as she was and she would have, if only she had the energy to raise her foot enough.

He had hold of her hand the whole way, even though she could feel how clammy her palm must be. He never once complained though; just keeping his fingers linked through hers and giving her hand a light squeeze every now and again, as if to check she was still with him.

Finally, just when she was beginning to think it would _never_ end, he stopped at the edge of the trees, turning to her with a grin, announcing their arrival proudly. "We're here!"

Claire was soaked through; her top was sticking to her and her hair had been plastered to her head with sweat and she was sure it was sticking out at odd angles. Her skin was flushed red and she wasn't sure if it was sunburn or just physical exhaustion (there was a reason red-heads avoided the sun after all). Her leg was itching and, on closer inspection, she found a cluster of mosquito bites there. She had never felt more unattractive than she did in that moment.

He took one look at her face and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, a nervous expression taking over his features. "You didn't enjoy that at all, did you?"

She briefly considered lying but the thought didn't even really fully form in her head; she was too exhausted to pretend. "No." She responded bluntly.

"Okay." He drew the word out as he let out a nervous laugh. "Note to self, never take Claire hiking again."

"I look like I've been dragged through a hedge backwards." His comment had softened her annoyance slightly, but she was not willing to let go of it completely.

He shook his head adamantly at that. "No. You look gorgeous."

She let out a huff of disbelief, studying his face for the teasing look she was sure she would find there. Instead, all she saw was complete earnestness, so much so it almost took her breath away. He completely believed the words he was saying and, although it was totally beyond her what he was seeing, she felt her heart warm, the last of her frustration at him slipping away. She leant up on her tiptoes, her muscles screaming in protest, and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "You're crazy."

"Perhaps. But I'm also right." He winked at her as he said it. "Now would you believe me if I said that the view up here was worth it."

"No." She said honestly. "Nothing was worth that."

He chuckled at her, pulling on her hand and forcing her to follow him through the last few trees out into a small clearing, the furthest edge of which seemed to drop into oblivion. He pulled her right to the edge and in front of him, wrapping his arm around her in a way which was almost unbearable in the heat but she decided she quite liked anyway. She focused her attention on the view in front of her, her breath immediately catching in her throat. "Not even this?"

From where they stood they could see what felt like the whole island; the main resort stretching on the far side and her eyes automatically scanned to look for the T-Rex paddock, like they did whenever she entered the control room nowadays. In between the main resort and were they were stood were large expanses of forests and fields and the fact that she had never seen so much _green_ rose in her mind, the sight so beautiful she couldn't tear her eyes away. In the distance, all around, the sea sparkling as blue as she'd ever seen it.

"Wow. Maybe it was worth it." She was briefly aware of how sweaty she still was and changed her answer. "Is there not a way to drive up here though?"

He chuckled against her, leaning over her shoulder to kiss her cheek. "You're amazing, Claire."

She disagreed with that statement a lot, not quite seeing what he saw in her when all she had done was moan all afternoon but remained silent regardless. She watched him as he laid out the same ratty blanket as the night before, unloading much of the same food and sitting next to him when he flopped down onto the mat with a sigh.

"Do we have to walk that again on the way down?" She asked with a sense of dread, not really sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Nah." His reply was absent as he loaded a plate with food. "There's a path straight down which will take us to the bike in 15 minutes."

Her mouth fell open in shock and she gaped at him, not caring how she looked. "You mean to say we could have got here in 15 minutes?" She repeated the information slowly, as if it would change the outcome.

"I picked the longer route for the fun of the trip. " He didn't sound the slightest bit ashamed as he grinned at her. "Don't worry, I won't make that mistake again."

"You still want to go out with me after today?" She was partly convinced that he wouldn't want to see her again; the activity acting as a glaring demonstration of their differences.

"Of course." He responded without missing a beat, not even looking up from the food he was now devouring. "I have a question for you."

"Okay." She dragged the word out with trepidation.

"I thought people from Wisconsin were supposed to be outdoorsy. Isn't Madison close to some of the top ski resorts? And isn't it a hotspot for cross country skiing?"

A smile played at the corner of her mouth. "Yeah it is. I've never been skiing though. I'm more of a city girl." He gaped at her in disbelief and she found herself becoming defensive. "Have you ever skied?" She practically snapped back.

Her tone of voice didn't phase him and he looked at her with an almost wistful expression. "No. I've never actually seen snow in real life. Grew up in Florida. Always wanted to though."

"Maybe next time I go home you can come with me. We'll both try skiing." She replied almost absently, barely even aware of what she was saying. Owen, however picked up on it immediately.

"Oh yeah?" He asked. "Think you can put up with me for that long?"

She screwed up her face slightly as she looked at him. "I think the real question is whether you can put up with me."

"We've been on one whole date now. You're stuck with me." He teased straight back, although the look on his face told Claire he wasn't really joking at all.

"This date was more than 1/4." She protested, rather than commenting on any feelings that may have been brought up. "You managed to meet all 4 criteria; this is a whole date. Brings us up to 1 and 3/4."

He grinned at her, as though she just told him he'd won the lottery and he leaned in again to kiss her softly. They ate with companionable conversation for a while, Claire enjoying finding out a bit more about Owen as he told her stories of his life growing up. They set down their plates, talking long after they finished eating when he all of a sudden circled her wrist with his fingers, grabbing her attention.

"Look, the sun's setting." He said as he tugged on her wrist and they moved until she was sat between his legs, back resting on his chest.

She realised she had never seen the sun set before, always being far too busy to stop and appreciate the moment the colours spread across the sky. This time though she leant into Owen, enjoying the feel of him against her as she took in every detail of the landscape. "It's beautiful." She whispered, almost afraid that the sound of her voice would destroy the magic of it all.

"It is." He agreed, dropping a kiss to the top of her head, speaking again after a slight pause. "Are you going to see Rexie tonight?"

"That depends." The proximity between them made her brave and she tipped her head back on his shoulder to meet his eye with a flirty smile.

"On what?"

"On whether I get a better offer." She breathed the words out, making her intention as clear as possible.

Owen leaned down, pulling her into a proper kiss in no time, his hands tangled into the curls at the nape of her neck. When he pulled back, her lips were left swollen and she could only give him a dreamy sort of smile which normally she would say was so uncharacteristically not _her_. "I have a bottle of wine at mine if you're interested?"

He asked the words very causally, as though the outcome barely mattered to him, but she could hear the longing in his voice. She raised herself onto her knees, the sunset practically forgotten as she leaned flushed against him and placing a lingering kiss on his lips.

"That sounds perfect." She replied.

And to Claire, it really did.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Can't believe I got 8 reviews on the last chapter alone; you are all amazing! I had a very important debate with myself on this chapter- to smut or not to smut. I settled on keeping it on a T rating, so sorry to disappoint some of you!**

 **Please review and let me know what you all think, I'm desperately trying to keep Claire and Owen as in character with this version of them that I can. I hope you keep enjoying it! x**

* * *

 _Chapter 5_

* * *

Claire was pretty silent on the walk back to Owen's bike, her earlier confidence disappearing as they made their way down the hill. Her hand was in his and she found the warmth of them occasionally bumping shoulders reassuring, calming her nerves and reaffirming this is what she wanted.

She was exhausted by the time they climbed onto his bike, despite the shorter walk and the fact the sun had gone in. A thin layer a sweat still coated her body and she realised just how unsuited she was to hiking as she clung onto Owen again; gripping him tightly as they sped through the back roads to wherever he lived.

They stopped and Claire almost did a double take, sure that the tiny trailer in the clearing couldn't be where he actually _lived._ Surely no one would choose to live there over the luxury employee apartments which were provided for them. But then she looked again, _really_ looked as she had become accustomed to doing in Owen's presence.

The trailer was tiny and almost cobbled together, in a way she wasn't sure was completely structurally sound, but there was some character about it. It had a large porch as an extension, with a hammock outside and a grill. What she originally saw as just a clearing was open on one side, and she saw the edge of the lake lapping there, a small jetty hanging out over it, fishing gear absently strewn nearby.

"What do you think?" Owen's voice startled her from her careful consideration of the area and she leant back against him as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I can't believe you live here." She responded, although she could. Even she could see that this place was far more _Owen_ than any of the company apartments would be. She couldn't see the man she knew (the one who enjoyed hiking, looking after animals and rushing through the forest on his bike) being happy in such a clean, modern environment.

"You don't like it?" He guessed, not seeming too bothered or surprised by her response.

She twisted in his arms and pressed her lips against his lightly, a small smile on her face. "It's very you."

"Is that a compliment?" He had tipped his head to the side as he waited for her response, moving his other arm so she was completely encircled by him.

She considered her response for a moment, trying to find a way to answer in which she didn't manage to offend him, but wasn't lying either. "Well, I like _you_." She said, a smile on her face and what she hoped was a nonchalant shrug, but the blush colouring her cheeks more than likely ruined that.

He didn't say anything in response, only grinning at her and placing another soft kiss on her lips. "How about I get us some wine and we can sit on the dock for a bit?"

She nodded slightly, before pulling away from him with a frown. "Actually, do you mind if I use your shower quickly?" In spite of the fact Owen didn't seemed to mind and kept hugging her regardless, she felt so uncomfortable when she thought about how sweaty she was just a couple of hours previously. She glanced back at the trailer, wrinkling her nose slightly. "It does have a shower, right?"

"No, that's what the lake's for." Her mouth dropped open at this and she gaped at his serious expression, until he cracked and started chuckling at her.

She reached a hand out to hit him lightly. "I believed you!" She exclaimed, glaring at him for effect. It didn't really work as only moments later she caved and her laughter joined his.

He pressed a kiss to her temple and began to lead her up the stairs to her trailer, still laughing to himself. "Come on, Claire. I'll grab you a towel."

He grabbed her a towel and a clean shirt of his, as well as some shorts that were probably going to be far too big for her but she accepted regardless. "I'll be outside." He promised and left her with a final kiss to her cheek.

As she stripped off and climbed into the shower she was beginning to regret coming round to Owen's at all. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend more time with him; in fact, she was far from ready to go home for the evening, loving the easy conversation and affection that flowed between them. It was just that she was sure that there was only one way the night was ending, one way that she had invited it to end. The only problem being that she had never felt more exhausted in her life.

Claire found Owen's shampoo and body wash and used it. It was only when she was out of the shower, dressed in Owens clothes that she realised just how much like him she now smelt; it was a far cry from her usual vanilla lotion but she found it oddly comforting.

She left the small bungalow (resolving to call it that in her head, just so she could convince herself that it was a habitable space) and climbed down the stairs, spotting Owen perched on the end of the jetty, his legs swinging over the edge. She joined him, sitting next to him quietly and leaning into him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, a grin on his face as soon as he spotted her.

"I like you in my clothes." He said, his hand skimming over her thigh just where his shorts cut off on her, sending shivers through her body. "It's hot."

She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she accepted the glass of wine he held out to her, taking a large gulp so she didn't have to respond. "Do you miss home?" She asked when the silence between them had stretched out for a long while.

"No." He replied, looking at the dark expanse of water instead of meeting her eyes. "I've been away so long, what with the navy and everything...It doesn't really feel like home anymore. I don't know how to act around my family any more either."

She turned her head to press a kiss to his shoulder, and he rewarded her with one pressed on her temple. "Does it feel like home here?"

"As much as anywhere." He admitted quietly, his voice sounding far away and the tense line of his jaw making her want to stretch up and run her fingertips along it. "It's quiet here, you know? And it's just me; no one else around. There were always people around in the navy."

She rested her head against his shoulder, swinging her legs slightly so her toe skimmed the surface of the lake. "I'm around now."

The comment sounded stupid, and she regretted it the moment it came out her mouth. Owen, however, let out a low chuckle, turning to face her for the first time since the conversation began. "Yeah. I quite like you being around though."

He dipped his head and caught her lips in a kiss and she eagerly responded, blindly placing her wine glass down so she could grip his shoulder and deepen the kiss. She was lost in the feeling of his mouth against hers, a breathy moan escaping her as he bit softly on her lower lip. She was barely aware of anything other than _Owen_ ; the feel of his hands in her hair, the warmth of his body against hers, the hard muscle of his shoulder under her hands.

It was only when he broke away from her that she realise her back was pressed against the wood of the jetty, Owen leaning over her, the full length of his body pressed against hers. Suddenly, she found she wasn't exhausted at all anymore. She blinked up at him with hooded eyes, a low moan making its way out of her as he dipped his head to her neck, pressing an open mouth kiss to her pulse point.

"Owen." She breathed out and he pulled back, looking into her eyes. She felt a flood of desire run through her at the longing on his face and his darkened eyes. "Take me to bed."

"Are you sure?" He asked, one of his hands twisting in her hair as he studied her expression, as though looking for any traces of doubt.

Claire smiled at him softly, raising her head slightly to brush her lips against his. "I'm sure." She promised. "Now, bed."

She didn't have to tell him a third time.

* * *

Claire was wide awake, in spite of her earlier exhaustion. Owen was snoring softly beside her; his was arm slung over her waist holding her firmly against him, his bare skin sticking against hers in a way that should be uncomfortable but actually was incredibly enjoyable.

It was times like this when she resented her insomnia, wishing nothing more than to bury herself in Owen's embrace and slip asleep with the feel of his breathing mixing with hers. She had to remind herself that without her inability to sleep she never would have met him in the first place, never would have spent hours talking into the night with him or never would have known what it felt like to have his hands wander over her body.

She turned her head to look at his face, a soft smile crossing hers. He looked peaceful when he slept; the weariness that she would often see pass over his features making way to a more contented expression. Her fingers itched to pass over his relaxed expression, tracing it and committing it to memory. Instead she extracted herself from his grip with a slight sigh, finding the shirt of his she was wearing earlier and pulling it on as well as her panties.

Claire made her way into the kitchenette area of his trailer (kitchen being too much of a stretch for the couple of cupboards, sink and oven he had there). She retrieved her wine glass from earlier and topped it up, stepping outside and goosebumps immediately raising on her arms. She crossed to the dock they had sat on earlier, sitting on the edge and swinging her toes through the water, in spite of the chill she felt.

She lost track of how long she sat there, sipping her wine and staring at the moonlight reflecting on the dark expanse of water. She barely even noticed the time passing until Owen dropped onto the edge next to her, his arm automatically coming to rest on her waist.

"For a moment I thought I'd dreamt last night when you weren't in bed with me." His voice was rough with sleep and it sent shivers through her.

She shook her head slightly. "Would've been a pretty good dream." She commented absently.

"Yeah. It's an even better reality though." He agreed, bringing a smile to her lips. "Couldn't sleep?"

She shrugged noncommittally. "What time is it?"

"Just after 2." He placed a kiss to the crown of her head. "You should've woke me."

"You looked peaceful."

Owen brought his free hand to her chin, tipping her face up gently so he could place a kiss to her lips. "Why do you have trouble sleeping?"

She tensed at that, not expecting him to ask the question. She went to answer but the words felt thick in her throat and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to get them out. She had never told anyone what had initially caused her insomnia before; not even Karen, although she knew what the cause was without needing to be told. The hesitance must have shown on her face as he brushed another kiss against her lips.

"You don't have to tell me, Claire. Not if you don't want to."

"It's not that I don't want to." She started hesitantly. "I'm just not ready yet. I'll tell you one day."

"That's fine, Claire. You don't have to." She met his eye and saw that he was completely genuine. "Everyone has things which are just theirs."

"That's what people always say." She murmured absently, leaning her head on his shoulder. "And then they end up resenting me for not showing my feelings enough. Being too closed off."

"Then they're idiots." She snorted slightly in disbelief. "I'm serious, Claire. If they think that you are closed off or they can't see how amazing you really are, they really are idiots."

"You think?" She asked tentatively, raising her eyes to meet his.

"I'd never think of you like that." He promised. He stood, reaching a hand down to her. "Come with me."

She frowned but took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet and lead her back onto the porch. He climbed into the hammock and held his arms up, indicating for her to get in with her. She prodded it slightly, looking at him skeptically.

"Is that thing safe? Will it hold both of us?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Claire, get in the damn hammock."

She huffed slightly before climbing in awkwardly, the lack of space causing her to practically lay on top of Owen; the material encasing them on both sides, wrapping them in their own little cocoon. "Why are we in here?" She asked when he offered no further explanation.

"I always come out here when I can't sleep. It helps." His voice was soothing and he was running his hand through her hair, slowly working out the tangles. "I don't know what it is. Think it's the outdoors, the fresh air, being out under the stars..."

"I'm not one for the outdoors, remember?" She murmured into his chest, but she could already feel herself beginning to drift off; the combination of his body heat pressed against her and the feel of his hand methodically making its way through her hair.

"How could I forget?" He replied with a low chuckle. "Just a think of it as an excuse for me to have you this close to me."

"That's not so bad." She admitted, a smile on her face. "Can you believe that a week and a half ago we didn't even know each other?"

She felt him kiss the top of her head, his arm tightening around her. "I feel like I've known you longer."

"Me too." She tipped her head back and kissed the underside of his jaw. "I was lonely before I met you."

"Do you have any friends on the island?"

"I don't really have any friends anywhere." She admitted softly, playing with the soft fabric of his shirt. "Any friends I used to have I lost. I work too much, was always too busy for them. Eventually they got fed up of me not having time for them."

"You have time for me." His voice was quieter now, coming out as a low murmur and she could feel the rumble of him speaking through her body.

"That's because I've seen you at night." She let out a a humourless chuckle. "This is the only weekend I haven't worked since I started here 4 months ago."

"You probably needed the break."

"Yeah." She agreed absently. There was a thought playing on her mind, worrying her and just stopping her from slipping off the edge into sleep. "You know I'm not going to change, even though I really like you? If we keep doing this I'm still going to stay in the office until 9pm most nights, answer my work calls on my days off, work on the weekend even if I don't need to... I might cancel on plans at the last minute or I might not be able to make them at all. It's just who I am."

"Claire, I'm not trying to change you." He replied, and she could hear the genuine tone of his voice. "I might encourage you to take a day off every now and again, but I know who you are. I like you for you; all your workaholic tendencies included. Plus, pretty soon I'm going to have 4 baby dinosaurs on my plate; I'm going to be working late too."

Claire wriggled enough so she could reach up and kiss him softly, before settling against his chest with a sigh, closing her eyes. She had lost count of the amount of people who had promised her the same thing and had later bailed when they realised she really wasn't going to change. She believed Owen when he said the words though. Believed that he was someone who really did like her for her. She absently wondered if she only believed him because she wanted it to be true so desperately.

Claire drifted off with her head on Owen's chest; his even breaths lulling her to sleep, with his hand still in her hair and a smile on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: 11 reviews?! You guys are amazing, honestly. Thank you so much. Hope you like this one too, please keep reviewing and letting me know what you think! x**

* * *

 _Chapter 6_

* * *

The next month passed Claire by in a rush. She worked harder than ever, almost trying to prove to herself that meeting Owen wouldn't change who she was. Or maybe trying to prove to him that he really couldn't change her. She was who she was; no exceptions. Either way he never once protested, only ever taking any second she was available to spare for him.

They spent most of their time at his bungalow. In fact, he had never spent a single night in her hotel suite, never having even stepped foot inside it. She liked his place better; it radiated _Owen,_ and her place didn't say a single thing about her.

She supposed it's almost clinical features showed how much of a workaholic she was. There was not one single thing out that was personal to her in any way; in fact, it looked exactly the same as it did when they had shown her the suite before she moved in. The only additions were her clothes in the wardrobe and her toiletries in the bathroom.

She imagined Owen's reaction upon seeing it and could picture him shaking his head, a smile on his face; none of it actually surprising him. A part of her wanted to surprise him, hating how predictable she was to him. She doubted she ever actually would, he seemhed to know her better than she did most of the time.

Tonight, however, there as no way she was staying in Owen's trailer. The weather had been predicting thunderstorms and there was no way she was staying at his; she wasn't convinced of its structural integrity at the best of times. She was looking forward to seeing him though, and she didn't want to miss out.

She rang his phone, smiling when he picked up on the first ring. "Hey Claire."

"I'm not staying at your trailer tonight." She greeted straight away.

"Do you have to work late?"

"No. It's meant to thunder storm. I'm not staying in a trailer in the middle of nowhere during that."

His chuckle floated over the line. "Fair enough. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"You're not staying there either!" She protested, her voice taking on an unusually high pitch. "It's not safe."

His sigh was audible through the phone but he consented anyway. "I'll be over in a half hour. Text me your room number."

She couldn't settle as she waited for him to turn up; anxiously rearranging the couch cushions and straightening her paperwork, even though her suite was already spotless. She jumped at the knock at her door, suddenly regretting inviting him over at all.

"Hey." She greeted as she pulled the door open, still dressed in her work suit.

He immediately greeted her with a kiss, an easy grin on his face. "I finally get to see where you live then."

"It's nothing much." She replied self consciously, even though she knew her suite was worth about 3 times what his bungalow was. It wasn't about monetary value though; he had made his place worth far more than hers ever could be.

He walked in, barely looking at his surroundings before flopping himself on her couch. "Have you eaten? I'm starving."

She curled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. "I can order room service."

"Do you ever cook?" He asked.

She blushed lightly. "I don't have much of a kitchen here." She protested, not mentioning the fact that the last time she had attempted to make any food, back in college, she had set the fire alarm off and the smell of smoke had lingered for days.

"Room service sounds good." He agreed and she rose from the couch to order something for them.

When she sat back next to him, she saw his eyes travelling around the room and she felt her body tense as he considered the surroundings. "It's very you." He decided, mimicking her words to him from when she saw his place.

She rolled her eyes, still not completely relaxed even after he pulled her to his side. "There's nothing here."

"Yeah. That's what I expected."

His voice was affectionate but she frowned, not sure that what he was saying was a good thing. "What are you saying?" She snapped, anger irrationally rising up in her.

He let out a low chuckle. "It's not a criticism Claire."

"It's not?"

"No." He kissed her temple, drawing her tighter to him. "It's just typical of you; you work a lot and probably don't spend much time here. It's not a bad thing. I'm quite fond of you, after all. Even if you are touchy."

She lightly hit his shoulder, the last of her annoyance fading away. "Well, I am quite fond of you too."

"I know." He replied with a smirk, her responding eye roll involuntarily.

They sat in silence for a while, Claire almost drifting off against his shoulder as they waited for the food to arrive. In her effort to prove that she wasn't going to change she had actually been working longer hours than ever before, her own private form of rebellion. The only problem being that it was really taking it out of her; not to mention that she actually wanted to spend more time with Owen.

She jolted upright suddenly as the first rumble of thunder rang out through the apartment. She didn't even realise that her hand had tightened on Owen's leg when another clap of thunder went off until he prised her fingers off and linked them with his, giving her hand a light squeeze.

"It's just a bit of thunder." He said and from anyone else it would sound patronising, but his voice was soft and reassuring, his thumb rubbing circles on her hand.

"Right." She responded. Her voice was oddly high as she tried to convince herself, trying to ground herself in the feel of his hand in hers.

She continued like that as the night drew on. Her body was rigid as their food arrived and she picked her way through it, her appetite having disappeared. She made a conscious effort to not jump at every sound of thunder; trying to focus on the story Owen was telling her about his day working with the T-Rex. He noticed that she was distracted however and trailed off, reaching across the table to reclaim her hand.

"Claire." She hummed in acknowledgement. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." She lied automatically, Owen raising an eyebrow in disbelief in response. "Thunderstorms put me a bit on edge."

He snorted with laughter at the obvious understatement, standing from the table and pulling her with him. "I have an idea."

He pulled her to the ensuite and she frowned as they stepped inside, Owen pushing her lightly so she was sat on the closed toilet seat. He moved and turned the taps on, filling the tub up. She wrinkled her nose. "A bath? Really?"

"It's relaxing." He shrugged, a grin forming on his face. "Plus it means I get to have you naked and wet against me."

"You're unbelievable." She shook her head at him, her own smile spreading across her face as she felt herself relax for the first time since the storm started. She pinned her hair up and started stripping out of her suit, aware of Owen's eyes following her every movement until she stood in front of him, wearing nothing but a smile. "And now you're over dressed."

He hurriedly yanked his clothes off, grabbing her waist and pulling her flush to him when she turned to get in the bath. His hand curled around the back of her neck as he pressed his lips to hers greedily, his free hand moving over her exposed body. She moaned into his mouth, the feel of his hand travelling over her sending shivers through her body.

She blinked up at him as they pulled apart, a dreamy smile pulling at her mouth. "You keep doing that and I don't think we'll make the bath."

She could feel his resulting chuckle rumble through her body and he pulled away from her, climbing into the tub and indicating for her to sit between his legs. She got in, leaning back against him with a soft sigh. "This is nice." She conceded.

"I told you so." He teased, running his hand lazily over her leg. "You need to relax more, you're too tense." He placed an open mouthed kiss to her neck as she opened her mouth to protest, interjecting before she got a chance too. "It's not a criticism, Claire. Just an observation."

She resisted the urge to snap, instead tipping her head back in his shoulder. "I may have been working harder than usual this last month."

"I know." He chuckled and she turned her head to stare at him in shock. "I'm not trying to change you Claire. You don't have to work yourself to death to prove that you won't change."

She huffed slightly. "How am I so obvious to you? You know me better than people who have known me for years."

"I pay attention." He replied simply, kissing her lightly. "We should stay here more often. I like this."

"I like your place better." She protested.

"My place doesn't have a tub though." He flicked to the previous conversation like she noticed he had a tendency to do. "Are you going to stop trying to prove yourself?"

"I guess." She agreed, not sure if she actually would or not. She supposed she would for a while, until she panicked and threw herself back into work again. That was the most she could promise either of them.

"Good." She could feel his smile against her skin as he kissed her shoulder. "Would it ruin the moment if I felt you up right now?"

Claire let out a laugh, her body shaking as fits of giggles escaped her. And, when the next clap of thunder went off, she didn't even hear it.

* * *

Claire pulled up at Owen's later than she had hoped, which was pretty much the norm for her. She had told him that she'd be round at 8 at the very latest and she would feel bad for being over an hour late if it wasn't for the complete look of disbelief he had worn when she told him.

In previous relationships she would've bristled at that; mostly as she knew that the other person was exasperated at her and would add it to the list of faults they found in her. Owen, on the other hand, would just shake his head at her affectionately whatever time she showed up, a smile on his face and a quick kiss on her cheeky. Part of her was still waiting for the other shoe to drop; she was waiting for him to become just as fed up with her workaholic tendencies as everyone else. He, however, showed no sign of that being any time soon.

She climbed from her Mercedes, her heels sinking into the ground instantly and she pulled them off quickly. She'd rather get her feet dirty than her designer shoes; she only wished there was a path to his bungalow so she didn't have to worry about either.

She couldn't spot Owen at first; he was normally always on the porch with a beer in his hand when she turned up or, failing that, he would be tinkering with his bike. In fact she was halfway up the porch stairs when she saw him, pacing the small jetty, phone stuck to his ear. She made her way over to him automatically and, in spite of his frown, he offered her a small smile when he saw her approaching.

He ceased his pacing when she reached him and she rested a hand on his arm, raising herself up onto her toes to gently kiss his cheek. He wrapped his arm around her waist when she moved to pull away, holding the phone away from his face so he could pull her into a proper kiss.

"Hey." She breathed when they broke apart. "Sorry I'm late."

He rolled his eyes at her affectionately, pecking her lips again. "Don't worry. I expected you to be."

"Is everything okay?" She nodded towards the phone held in his hand, a woman's voice still drifting through it.

"Sister." He offered as though that explained everything, shrugging absently. "Shouldn't be too much longer."

"I'm going to shower anyway." She squeezed his arm lightly before stepping away from him. "Take your time."

She climbed into his shower; the feel of the water flowing over her was soothing in spite of the crappy water pressure. It was only when she reached for some shampoo to wash her hair that she really noticed that most of the small cubicle was crowded with her hair products and shower gel and a smile slipped onto her face at the sight of her belongings mixing with his.

This really was one of the most functional relationships she has had. In fact, even though it was only just over a month, it was one of the longest relationships as well. She always had trouble getting things to stick; her own issues always getting in the way. Beyond her college boyfriend of one year, her experience of being in long term relationships was sorely lacking.

Owen made it easy though. He accepted her issues and seemed to have an innate understanding of her; he always knew what topics of conversation to avoid or when to not press the issue any further. With him she found herself not constantly worrying where the relationship was going or imagining all the ways things could fall apart. She was happy to live in the moment; enjoying every second she spent with him and taking pleasure in all the times he made her laugh, held her close to him or stayed up all night talking when she couldn't sleep.

Her thoughts strayed to the tense look on his face when she had turned up; the way the phone was clutched so tightly in his hand. She tried to think back to what she knew about his sister, just the snippets of information he had told her over time. He didn't really talk about his family, at least not anything up to date about them. She knew that the distance that had stretched between them upset him, much like the distance between Karen and herself upset her.

Owen had told her endless stories of him and his sister growing up though. She would smile at the adventures he told her they got up to; his sister only a year younger than him and a major tomboy, the two of them getting up to all sorts of trouble. She could almost picture Owen running around as a mischievous little kid; she wasn't convinced that he had changed all that much.

By the time she had pulled on her pyjamas (which now consisted of Owen's shirt he gave her on the first night together and her white silk robe thrown over the top), Owen had settled back on his usual spot on the porch, a beer in hand and a large glass of wine poured for her. She dropped onto the step next to him, picking up the glass and taking large gulp as she leant her body against his side.

"Have you eaten?" He asked her before she could ask him if everything was alright.

Claire shrugged, sipping her wine again. "Not yet."

"I grilled some chicken and made up a salad for you if you're hungry."

She felt warmth flow through her body at his words; it still astounded her just how thoughtful he was. She placed a kiss to his cheek, a soft sigh escaping her when he turned his head to capture her lips. Her hand automatically came up to curl around the back of his neck and she raised herself on her knees, eager to press her body closer to him.

"Do you want me to go and grab your dinner?" He asked when they had pulled apart, his forehead rested on hers.

She shook her head; their faces were so close that her nose bumped against his as she did so. "Not yet. It was a long day...Could we just sit for a bit?"

He was up and pulling her to her feet before the words had even fully left her mouth, heading to the hammock and climbing inside, waiting for her to do the same. She wasted no time in clambering in after him, fitting her body snug against his and breathing in his scent deeply.

"That's better." She murmured into his chest, feeling his answering chuckle rumbling through her.

"I could barely convince you to get in it the first time." He teased, tracing circles on her back with his free hand, the other still holding his beer bottle.

She let out an indignant huff. "Not my fault I'm concerned about my own safety." He just laughed, tightening his hold on her as she rolled her eyes. "Is everything okay? With your sister?"

She almost regretted asking; his laughter abruptly trailing off. "She wants to come visit. She's got some leave coming up."

Claire frowned, fidgeting awkwardly until she could see his face, Owen letting out a large huff as she accidentally connected her elbow to his gut. "Leave?"

"From the Army." He explained, taking a swig of his beer. He offered the bottle to her, his eyes widening as she reached out and took it, taking a small sip. A smile played at the corner of her mouth as she handed the bottle back; she always felt a small sense of achievement when she managed to surprise him.

"I didn't know Megan was in the Army." She commented pointlessly. There wasn't much she did know about her.

"Yeah. She signed up the same time I did for the Navy. We did everything together back then." His expression was wistful, eyes fixed up at the stars and she couldn't resist the urge to lightly trace her fingers over his jaw. His gaze flicked back to her and a small smile crossed his face as he turned his head to brush his lips over her fingertips, a shiver running through her body as he did so. "She's on her third tour at the moment, over in Iraq."

"Does she like it?" Claire asked tentatively, uncertain as to whether it was a stupid question to ask of someone in the armed forces.

He sighed heavily. "I guess. Otherwise she wouldn't keep going back." Owen looked tired, like he hadn't slept in months and it set Claire on edge; she was so used to seeing the carefree Owen whenever this side of him came out she was never sure how to act. "Not like me. I did my 2 tours and then ran as far from the Navy as I could. Seemed the smartest thing to do."

"Did you say yes? To her coming here?"

He shrugged, the movement causing her whole body to move with his. "She's coming next week. Meg doesn't take no for an answer."

"A bit like you then." She responded in an effort to lighten the mood. His face fell into an expression of mock outrage; he moved his hand up her side lightly tickling her, causing her to squirm against him.

"Cheeky." He murmured, kissing the top of her head affectionately. "I'm nervous about her coming." He admitted, his voice so quiet she had to strain the hear, even though there was no other sounds around. "I don't know how to act around her. I haven't even seen her since we both left for our first tours; our leave never seemed to coincide. That was almost 4 years ago."

Claire hated giving advice and reassuring people; she was convinced her own faults made her completely unqualified. "You were close before though. That's got to count for something."

"Perhaps." He accepted, squeezing her hip gently. "I'm not sure either of us are the same person though. The Navy...It changed me a lot. I'm not sure Meg'll like who I've become."

"I like you." She blurted out, cringing at her own awkwardness.

Owen, however, was used to it and a small chuckle escaped him. "You didn't know me before though."

"Doesn't matter." She replied stubbornly, and the look on his face in response almost took her breath away; the affection that was so blatantly there.

He pulled her to him for a quick kiss, his hand moving to her hair. "You're amazing, Claire Dearing." He announced proudly, Claire screwing her face up and shaking her head in response. "You really are."

Instead of disputing him again she lowered her head for another kiss, this one longer than the previous one. She was convinced she'd never get tired of kissing Owen; every time her lips met his she felt like she was drowning in him, like all her body could focus on was keeping him near. It used to scare her at first; the intensity of the feeling. Now she relished it, clinging to him almost desperately every time.

"Will you come and stay round? When Megan's here?" He asked when he pulled away, still so close to her that their faces were almost touching. He must have noticed the alarm cross her features as he quickly hastened to reassure her. "We don't have to say you're my girlfriend or anything, we can just say you're my friend if you want. I just could really use you there...Claire?"

He trailed off, glancing curiously at the panicked look she was sure on her face. "You called me your girlfriend." She managed to choke out.

"Well yeah. You are." He responded slowly as if it was obvious; his voice gentle as though he was afraid to spook her.

"Right." Her voice was strangled and she cleared her throat in an effort to get it to return to normal.

He looked at the expression on her face and laughter overtook him, shaking his body and hers in the tiny hammock. "Oh my god. You didn't realise you were my girlfriend."

"You never said it before!" She protested weakly.

"Claire, we literally spend pretty much every night together. We make out, we go on dates, we have sex. Have done all of that for a whole month. What the Hell did you think we were doing?"

"Shut up." She muttered, her cheeks darkening as she hid her face against his chest.

He sobered up slightly, pressing a kiss to her hair. "You do want to be my girlfriend, right?"

"Of course I do." She was almost embarrassed at the speed in which she answered, raising her head and meeting his eye, narrowly avoiding head butting him in the process.

"Good." He had one of the small genuine smiles on his face and her heart fluttered alarmingly in her chest. "And when Megan's here?"

"I'll come if you want me too." She would have to take a weekend off work but the thought didn't really bother her at all and _that_ was what was bothering her a lot. She fought against the rising panic. "As your girlfriend if you want as well."

Owen moved so fast that Claire barely comprehended what was happening. Only one second she was looking down at him, the next she was pulled flush against him, his lips eager on hers. His hands clutched desperately in her hair and hers curled around his neck, holding him in place. He lightly bit down on her lip, drawing a throaty moan out of her. She moved her hands down his body, finding the edge of his shirt and pushing it up, needily pressing herself as close as she could get to him.

Her stomach growled loudly and she swore lightly as it caused Owen to pull away with a chuckle. Her hair was mussed, her breath was coming out in harsh pants and she could not care any less about the fact she hadn't eaten. He was already out of the hammock, however, holding his hand out to her. She reluctantly took it, clambering out onto the deck.

"Let me go grab your food then."

"Hang on." She muttered, closing the space between them and fisting her hand in his shirt as she pressed her lips against his for one last kiss. She pulled back and patted her hair down uselessly, not really taming it at all.

"Can I go now?" He asked with a chuckle, shaking his head slightly at her. She smiled and nodded her consent, watching him walk into the bungalow. He stopped in the doorway and looked back at her, a grin on his face. "You're pretty amazing, Claire Dearing. I'm a lucky guy."

She couldn't suppress her eye roll as he walked into the kitchen, but a smile lingered on her face at his words and a warm feeling stayed in her chest.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Wow, this is officially my most reviewed story- I can't believe it! Thanks to each and every one of you who has taken the time to read, fave/follow and review this; it means the world to me!**

 **Here's chapter 7: this one and the next cover Megan's visit. Hope you all enjoy it; I struggled to get Claire and Owen to do what I wanted to do with a third person involved, so I feel they may have slipped out of character. Either way I appreciate all your comments and feedback- keep them coming! x**

* * *

 _Chapter 7_

* * *

Claire spent the next week trying to fight the panic that was rising up at the thought of meeting Owen's sister. She wasn't sure it helped that Owen seemed just as nervous about her visit, straightening and tidying the trailer to the point that she barely even recognised the interior.

Neither of them were sleeping much, both too nervous, and they would spend their nights lying awake in each other's arms, silence spreading out between them until they would both give up on the prospect of sleep or sheer exhaustion would take over. The night before Megan was due to arrive they didn't even pretend that sleep was going to be an option for them, instead climbing into the hammock together; Claire enjoying the feeling of Owen's body pressed completely against hers.

"What time's she getting here?" Claire asked, even though they had been over it several times.

"Meeting her at the docks at 12pm." He murmured, running his hand down her side soothingly.

"What are you going to get up to? I get off work at 8pm tomorrow."

Owen sighed against her hair. "Can you not get off any earlier?"

She tensed against him; she'd been waiting weeks for him to say something like that. "Owen." She warned.

"I know, Claire. I didn't mean it like that." He brushed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm just really fucking nervous. I could use you there."

She relaxed only marginally, even when he tightened her grip on her. She could feel her defences going up, wary that this might be the thing that finally pushed him away. "I've got important investor meetings tomorrow. And I took the weekend off."

"Claire, I know. I'm grateful you took the weekend off. It means a lot to me."

She was still hesitant to relax again, not sure that Owen really understood how big a deal it was for her to even have done that. How, despite all her protests, he had changed her. How she'd never even considered doing that for anyone else. "If something comes up though..."

"You'll have to deal with it. I know, I'd expect nothing less." She nodded her assent at that, finally settling back against his chest as he let out a loud sigh. "What am I supposed to do for 8 hours with her?"

"What did the two of you used to get up to?" He just gave a noncommittal shrug, jostling her body. "You could show her round the park. Give her the full tourist experience."

"I suppose." He sounded skeptical. "It will be packed though. It's a Friday afternoon."

"Come to the office after you pick her up. I'll grab you some VIP passes. Skip the queue."

He winked at her. "Isn't that an abuse of power?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Well, maybe you're worth it."

Her cheeks darkened as he gave her a pleased grin in response. "You think so?"

"I wouldn't be doing any of this if I didn't." She tipped her head back to kiss the underside of his jaw. "What's Megan like?"

"Small, blonde and feisty." He chuckled, the words falling out of his mouth without a second of thought. "I ever tell you about the time we went to the bar, after we first started training?"

She shook her head. Owen had told her lots of stories about the things the two of them had gotten up to; none of them were anywhere near that recent.

"It was after she'd had her first practical assessment. We'd gone out to celebrate, had a few tequilas too many...you know how it is." She gave him a pointed look and he shook his head with a grin, realising that she was the type of person who most definitely did not know how it was. "There was this group of guys at the next table, kept looking over at Meg. They'd all had a few too many as well. One of them decided to chance his luck and came over to us.

"Meg mentioned how she was in the army and this guy made some comment about how women shouldn't be allowed to serve because they're not tough enough. I went to say something but before I could Meg had slammed her fist into the guy's nose."

Owen was grinning proudly and Claire tried unsuccessfully to rearrange her horrified expression before he saw it. "She hit him?!"

"Yeah." He continued, oblivious to Claire's outrage. "He was bleeding and everything."

"That's horrible." She blurted before she could stop herself, Owen's chuckle rumbling through her.

"Well, yeah. It was basically a bar fight. We got kicked out after; wasn't allowed back. One Hell of a good night though." He poked her ribs lightly, causing her to squirm on top of him. "You saying that you've never been in a bar fight?"

She knew he was teasing her and she couldn't resist the opportunity to wipe the smirk of his face. "No, I have."

He shot up in the hammock, gaping at her and Claire giggled as she gripped the edge of the material, the two of them swinging alarmingly. "No way. You're messing with me. There's no way that you, Claire Dearing, have been in a bar fight."

He prodded her ribs again and she slapped his hand away; her face turning red as she continued to giggle. "I have."

"You need to tell me this story." His face was pleading, leaning over her eagerly and she couldn't resist the urge to stretch up and press her lips against his.

"It was in my final year of college, just after midterms. We went out to this bar to celebrate finishing, a big group of us. I was out dancing with a couple of my friends, I tripped slightly and fell into this couple who was kissing. I was going out with this guy at the time…his name was Sam." She shrugged, a pained smile on her face. "It was him I bumped into…kissing this random blonde girl."

"What a dick." Owen practically growled, his hand coming to her hip and squeezing it possessively. "Tell me you hit him."

"Slapped him right across the face." She admitted sheepishly.

He dipped his head to kiss her eagerly, curling his hand in her hair. "That's my girl."

She huffed slightly at that, leaning to kiss him again, smiling against his mouth. "It wasn't my proudest moment. It left a mark."

He laughed loudly at that, his body shaking against hers. "Good. The guy deserved it for cheating on someone as amazing as you."

"I'm not amazing." She protested automatically, not surprised by his answering scoff of disbelief. "The sad thing is that was the longest relationship I've ever had. I've kind of had crappy judgement when it comes to men."

"It's not sad. And I'd say it's getting better." He replied with a cocky smirk, her eyes rolling at his antics automatically.

She bit her lip, her hands fiddling with the edge of his t-shirt as she thought what a few hours time would bring. "Do you think she'll like me? Megan?"

His smirk melted into a smaller more genuine smile and he settled back against her, pulling her tight to him. "Course she will. Anyone would be stupid not to."

She wrapped herself round him until their limbs were messily entwined in a way that always made her feel claustrophobic in previous relationships, but with Owen still didn't feel like she was close enough. "I suppose we should get some sleep. Don't want to be too tired."

"Yeah." He ghosted his lips over her temple, his hand tracing soothing circles on her back. "Thank you for being there this weekend. I, um, I'm not sure I could do it without you."

Claire felt her heart clench at his heartfelt proclamation and she tipped her head back, kissing the underside of his jaw. "Well luckily you don't have to."

Owen squeezed her hip in response and she could feel his smile against her temple. She laid her head back down, closing her eyes and listening as his deep breaths evened out; his chest rising and falling as he slept. She listened to the soothing rhythm and curled deeper in the warmth of his body and tried to follow him into sleep, however it always stayed just out of her grasp.

* * *

Claire was so focused on getting the paperwork from her first meeting completed before her next meeting she almost missed the sounds of raised voices outside her office door. She recognised the deeper voice as belonging to Owen and a smile crossed her face briefly before she realised she had forgot to tell Zara he was stopping round for the passes. She knew her assistant could (and would) guard the door to her death as she'd asked not to be disturbed today; the thought of her assistant's petite frame squaring off against him caused her to giggle slightly.

She quickly stood and opened the door, interrupting before the situation got any worse. Based on the story Owen told her the previous night about Megan, she wasn't going to take any chances.

"Everything okay?" She asked, three pairs of eyes turning towards her and she shifted uncomfortably under the attention.

"Mr Grady said you were expecting him. I was just explaining to him how there's nothing in your schedule and you asked not to be disturbed." Zara shot a frustrated look in his direction and Claire had to stifle a laugh.

"He actually has an appointment, Zara. I forgot to tell you, I'm sorry." She caught the eye roll that Owen gave her out of the corner of her eye and she winced apologetically.

Her assistant pursed her lips slightly, before rearranging her expression into a forced smile and standing aside to let Owen through. The frustration was still evident in her posture and Claire couldn't help but feel bad; she was going to have to give that girl a raise. "I'm sorry, Mr Grady." Her tone was clipped. "Go right on through."

"I told you I had an appointment." Owen muttered under his breath as he passed her and Claire hit his shoulder as soon as the door was shut behind the three of them. He dipped his head and pressed a brief kiss to her lips. "I can't believe you forgot about me."

She rolled her eyes at his mock outrage, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "Oh shut up. I've been busy." She protested weakly.

There was a cough from behind her and Claire spun round, her eyes falling on Owen's sister for the first time; she had almost forgotten about her presence. She was short, standing a full head below Claire, and she had long blonde hair, which was pulled up into a loose ponytail. Claire could spot the resemblance to Owen immediately; both of them having the same eyes and effortless smile.

Claire shifted uncomfortably, feeling her nerves from earlier flooding through her in full force and she jumped when Owen wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Meg, this is my girlfriend Claire." Owen introduced and Megan rolled her eyes in a manner that Claire had seen him do more than once.

"All he's done is talk about you from the moment he picked me up." The younger Grady held her hand out and Claire took it, shaking it hesitantly. "I'm Megan. As you probably guessed."

She felt her face automatically stretch into the smile she used to greet investors; her nerves preventing anything more genuine from appearing. "Lovely to meet you. Owen talks about you a lot too."

"Nothing good presumably." The woman said, releasing her hand and grinning playfully at Owen.

"Oh no." Claire protested awkwardly. "He tells me about all the adventures you used to get up to."

Luckily, Owen prevented her from having to make any other awkward conversation, tightening his arm around her waist and pressing a light kiss to her cheek. "You got those passes then? Don't want to keep you from your work."

"Yeah, they're on my desk. Hang on a second." He released her and she crossed the room, moving the paperwork around until she found what she was looking for.

"You're not coming with us, Claire?" Megan asked as she was handed one of the passes, a frown on her face.

She shook her head in response, an apologetic smile on her face. "I have meetings all day."

"She's joining us for dinner later though, right?" Owen turned to her to check.

Claire nodded. "I should be done by 8."

Owen shook his head affectionately. "So, I'll expect you at 9."

"I'll really try to be done at 8." She protested defensively, not wanting to give a bad impression to Owen's sister, who was watching the exchange with a thoughtful frown.

"I know." He said, a small smile on his face. "I'm just going to grill some stuff so there's no rush if not though."

She smiled gratefully at him, raising on her toes to kiss his cheek. "I really need to get back to work. If I don't finish this now, I'll have to stay late."

"No worries, we've got lots to see anyway. I'll see you later, Claire." Owen kissed her quickly, turning to face his sister. "You ready, Meg?"

Her frown fell away and a smile stretched across her face instead. "Sure. It was nice meeting you Claire."

"You too." She responded, returning the smile the best she could. "I'll see you later."

"Don't work too hard." Owen said, with a wink as they were halfway out the door. She raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled. "Who am I kidding? I know what you're like."

After they had left Claire tried to turn her attention back to her work; her eyes uselessly reading the same line over and over as her thoughts strayed to the frown she saw on Megan's face. She was sure that the girl had been disapproving, although she was willing to admit that previous experiences may be clouding her judgement.

Either way, she was determined to make up for it that night and the rest of the weekend. She knew how important Megan was to Owen and she was going to do her best to make her like her. After all, Owen was just as important to her.

* * *

When Claire pulled up outside Owen's that night she was greeted by the sound of loud laughter and conversation. It was so different to the usual peace and silence she found there that she almost did a double take; unable to realise all the noise with the place that had become as much of her sanctuary as the T-Rex viewing room had been in the first few months.

She shook the uneasy feeling off, stepping out of the car, smiling as Owen waved clumsily towards her, a broad grin on his face. He slung his arm around Meg and pointed towards where Claire was walking towards them, turning to attempt to whisper to her, his voice carrying loudly across to her.

"Look, Claire's here!"

She spotted the half empty tequila bottle behind them as she got closer and rolled her eyes at the state they were in. She couldn't bring herself to get annoyed at him though; not when he was practically beaming at her, and he wrapped an arm around her tightly, pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek. She wrinkled her nose slightly as she wiped her face. "You're drunk."

"Only tipsy." He protested, pulling her to sit on his lap next to Megan on the steps. "I'll sober up when I eat."

Claire raised her eyebrow skeptically, glancing over at the still unlit grill. "Are you sure you're going to able to cook?"

He just chuckled, nudging Megan with his knee. "Told you she was smart."

Megan rolled her eyes. "Yes, I _know._ All you've done is tell me about Claire all day." Her words were slurred; clearly the tequila had more of an effect on her.

Owen shrugged unapologetically, grinning at Megan; unfazed by her comments. "Can you blame me? She's gorgeous."

Claire turned the same colour as her hair; uncomfortable at the compliments as he kissed her cheek. Megan shoved at his shoulder, laughing loudly. "Oh God. You're so sickening."

She extracted herself from Owen's grasp and stood up, squeezing his shoulder lightly when he protested. "I'm just going to change. And somehow convince someone to bring us some food."

As she got to the doorway, she glanced back at the two of them laughing and chatting, suddenly feeling out of place. In spite of the nerves Owen had displayed before Megan had arrived, he looked like he had relaxed in her presence pretty quickly; the two of them now displaying that easy relationship people had when they'd known each other their whole lives.

She was pleased they were getting on; she knew how much he had missed his sister. She only wished she felt less like an outsider; normally, even when she was being her usual awkward self, Owen always had a way of making her feel comfortable. When she was with him she felt like they were the only two people in the world. She wasn't used to sharing him with anyone else and she wasn't sure she liked it.

Claire shed her work suit with a sigh, kicking off her heels pulling on one of Owen's shirt, breathing in his scent. She perched back on the edge of his bed, running a hand through her hair, not ready to go back out there yet. She needed a moment to collect herself; she was never good in groups.

"Claire?" Owen's voice floated into the room, rough from the alcohol. "You okay?"

She opened her eyes and shot a tight smile his way. "Fine. I'll be out in a minute. Don't leave Megan on her own."

"She's on the phone to one of her army friends." He shrugged, seeming more subdued than when she'd left him only minutes beforehand. It was almost as though the mention of the army had brought him back to the present and sobered him up. He sat on the bed next to her, bumping his shoulder against hers. "I missed you today."

"Seems like you had fun anyway." She couldn't help but bite out, shaking her head slightly as she realised how bitter she sounded. She only hoped that Owen was too drunk to notice.

"Yeah." He chuckled, lying back on the bed, tugging on her arm so she fell back with him. "I didn't know what to say to her at first. Or how to act. She kept asking about my life and all I could think about was you. You're the first good thing to happen to me in a long while."

She swallowed against the lump in her throat, the unexpected emotion that Owen had brought up. His inhibitions had clearly been lowered by the tequila because, although Owen was always forthcoming with his emotions in comparison to her, he usually always held something back.

He carried on, oblivious to the tears rising in Claire's eyes. "Then we were in the park and surrounded by all these excited families and it was almost like we were younger and the last 4 years didn't happen. And back here with a bottle of tequila..." He chuckled at that, shaking his head. "It's like nothing has changed."

She brought a hand up and traced her fingers over his jaw, his skin slightly flushed from the alcohol. "That's good."

"I still want you there though, Claire. You're not interrupting or intruding or anything." His face slipped into a crooked grin. "Come outside, have a few drinks and have some fun with us."

She stretched to press her lips against his, screwing up her face when she tasted the tequila on his lips. His ability to guess (or _know_ ) what she feeling, even when he was drunk, always astounded her. She pulled away from him when she felt his hand wander up under her shirt, swatting his hand away.

"You're drunk." She replied exasperatedly to his mock hurt expression; Owen laughing at the blush that had rose unbidden to her cheeks.

"Yeah." He followed her as she stood, pulling on her pyjama shorts and moving back outside. He caught her waist when she had reached the door, sloppily kissing her neck. "Come and get drunk too."

"What about dinner?" She protested halfheartedly.

Owen just shrugged, settling back on the deck as Megan wandered back over to them; her cell still in her hand. "I've got some chips somewhere."

Claire rolled her eyes but sat down with them anyway. Megan grabbed the bottle of tequila and poured a shot for herself and Owen. "Claire?" She asked, holding the bottle up to her.

She chewed her lip, hesitating. She didn't usually drink tequila, didn't really drink anything other than wine, but they were both looking her expectantly and she did need to loosen up. Owen slung an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "I have a bottle of wine inside for you, if you prefer?"

That made her mind up and she smiled hesitantly at Megan. "I'll have one as well, thank you."

She threw the shot back with them, wincing and coughing slightly after as the other two laughed at her; the taste not having an effect on them. Megan filled the glasses straight back up and Claire warily did another one.

After a third shot, a warmth had spread through her and she relaxed slightly, leaning on Owen heavily. She laughed loudly at the sibling's stories and was surprised to find that she enjoying herself.

"What are we doing tomorrow then?"

"Ooh!" Megan sat up from where she was lounging back on the deck, bouncing excitedly. "I want to do the hiking trails up the volcano! I read that there was amazing views from the top."

The smile fell off Claire's face as Owen burst out laughing, almost doubling over at the expression on Claire's face. "Claire isn't really a hiking sort of girl."

"No, it's fine." Claire protested immediately, remembering her earlier conviction to make Megan like her. "I'll go it if that's what you really want to do."

Owen prodded her ribs lightly, causing her to squirm against him. "I promised I wouldn't make you go hiking again after our date."

"No way do you not liking hiking!" Megan exclaimed, waving her hand at Claire and knocking some of the glasses over as she did so. "Owen, how do you cope? You love hiking! We used to think you were going to run off and live in the wilderness."

Claire tensed against him and he ran a hand soothingly down her leg. "Somethings are more important, Meg."

"If you say so." She replied, her tone of voice suggesting she was unconvinced.

"You don't have to go hiking, Claire." He kissed her cheek. "I wouldn't put you through that again."

"I don't mind." It was her turn to sound unconvincing now.

"Claire." He scolded. "We'll go and meet you after. We're not going to force you to come with us."

"Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly. "I do have some work I need to get done."

"I'm sure. Go. Work. Have fun." He smiled easily and she couldn't help but return it with a wide grin of her own.

The affection in his gaze sent a warmth through her; so much so, she barely noticed Megan's pointed look.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm kind of aware that I didn't really develop Meg's character that much; I still wanted the focus to be on Owen and Claire's relationship. For me, this is really Claire's story. However, let me know what you think or whether you think I should add more about her in ch8! x**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm beginning to feel repetitive thanking you all for the great response but I genuinely just _can't_ believe it. I never thought when I started this I'd get over 50 reviews for this story so thank you so much; I am so grateful. **

**I'm glad that you all liked the previous chapter; I really wasn't too happy with it so I'm pleased that I was probably being a bit hard on myself! Here's the other half of Megan's visit- let me know how you think I did! x**

* * *

 _Chapter 8_

* * *

"She's just not your type, Owen."

Claire heard the words float through the closed door as she climbed the porch stairs, freezing as she recognised that she was the subject of the conversation. She had spent longer in the office than she meant to; losing track of the time and staying far beyond when they would've been back from their hike. She hovered awkwardly outside the trailer door; torn on whether she wanted to go in and interrupt or run as far away as possible.

"You don't know what my type is. And you don't know her." She heard Owen snap back, his voice threateningly low.

"I do know she's nothing like Beth and Beth was definitely your type!"

Silence rang out after Megan's declaration and Claire was beginning to wonder if everything was okay when she heard Owen respond; his voice quiet and measured. "I broke up with Beth though, didn't I?"

"Yes, and I still don't get why! Neither does Mom." Megan let out a harsh exhale of breath and Claire shifted, wincing when a floorboard creaked, worried to get caught eavesdropping. "Look, I'm worried about you. All Claire has done this weekend is work! She seems to care more about her career than she does you, or anything else. She's selfish."

Claire's breath caught in her throat at that. She suspected that was what Megan thought of her, ever since she caught her frown when they first met in her office. However, it was one thing thinking it and another thing altogether for your suspicions to be confirmed. She felt the panic rising up in her. What if that was what Owen thought too?

She knew she worked a lot and was career driven, but he had always been accepting of that right from the start. But, what if he didn't realise how much she cared about him? What if he didn't realise that if he asked she would drop anything for him and the fact that he doesn't ask means she would do it even more?

"You don't know anything about her." His voice was still quiet but Claire could hear the anger running through it now; an emotion she'd never seen on him, even when she had infuriated him beyond belief. "Claire is in no way selfish."

"Fine! Maybe she's not." Megan's voice, on the other hand, was bordering on yelling. "But you deserve someone better; someone like Beth. I have never met anyone further from what you are like."

"You don't know what I'm like, Meg. Not anymore." The anger had drained now; his voice taking on the weariness that Claire was used to hearing in the early hours of the morning, when sleep escaped them both.

"No one changes that much."

"I did." A tired sigh slipped from him. "She understands me, and she likes _me_ for who I am now. When I'm around Claire...there's no expectations to be the person I used to be. I love her, Meg."

Claire felt as though her whole body turned to ice as Owen's words floated through the closed door. That was the last thing she expected to fall from his mouth when she'd started listening in to them and, although the small rational part of her brain said she knew it was probably coming soon, she couldn't help but feel blindsided.

Her earlier reluctance to leave had gone thoroughly out the window and she turned to rush down the stairs; eager to get as far away from the sibling's conversation as possible before they noticed she was there. In her haste to get away she stumbled on the first step, falling down the next few before she could regain her balance, cursing quietly to herself. She stood at the bottom, hurriedly straightening her suit and brushing some of the dirt off. Luckily, she hadn't hurt herself. Unluckily, there was no way in Hell that the occupants of the trailer didn't hear her.

Sure enough the door opened before Claire could make a break for her Mercedes, Owen stepping out; his expression turning to concern as soon as he spotted her. She absently noticed Megan standing in the doorway, a frown on her face.

"Claire, what the Hell? Did you fall? Are you okay?"

He started making his way down the stairs towards her and she anxiously took a step back, almost stumbling again. She plastered the falsest smile she was sure she'd ever worn onto her face, which only caused Owen's concerned expression to deepen.

"Fine. It was just a stumble." Her voice was unnaturally high and she cleared her throat awkwardly, a blush rising to her cheeks. "I just realised I left something at the office so I'm just going to..."

She waved her hand absently towards her car, hastily turning and walking towards it, desperately trying to resist the urge to run. She was so close to making it without any protests when she felt Owens fingers circle around her wrist, holding her in place.

"Claire." His voice was low, and she knew it wouldn't carry over to where his sister was stood, watching the scene worriedly. "How much of that did you hear?"

"None of it." She lied immediately, avoiding his gaze. She fixed her eyes on his hand still wrapped around her wrist, absently noticing how small she looked compared to him.

His disbelieving chuckle floated over her and she felt his finger under her chin, lifting her face and forcing her to meet his eye. "You're just freaking out for no reason, then?"

She swallowed visibly; her throat felt like it was closing in and she wasn't sure she'd be able to get any words out. "I just…I need to go."

He tugged on her wrist, pulling her so she was tucked under his chin but she couldn't bring herself to relax against him like she usually did, even when his lips brushed over the top of her head.

She knew she was being irrational; that her reaction was completely over the top. However, she'd barely slept all week, her nerves from Megan's visit set her on edge and she had limited experience with relationships. Her rational side was not in charge right now.

He noticed her tense posture, pulling away and holding her at arm's length, a frown on her face. "Can I come with you?"

She was torn for a moment; part of her wanting to get as far away from the situation (and therefore _Owen_ ) as possible and the other half wanting to wrap herself up in his arms and not let go. She settled on a hesitant nod and he rewarded her with a small smile, prising her keys out of her hand and opening the passenger door for her.

She glared at him; the look having no effect on him. She climbed into the car, resting her head on the window. She was willing to admit that she probably shouldn't be driving in the state she was in, but she was reluctant to give up control.

Owen would roll his eyes if she told him that; he was always going on about how life wasn't about being in control, but instead about mutual respect. She had scoffed in disbelief the first time he had said that; in her experience it was either be in control or be controlled and she sure as Hell wasn't going to end up being the latter. Over the last few weeks she had started to come around to his way of thinking, but now she wished she had stuck to her original mindset. The feel of being caught unawares was dizzying.

"Claire?" She flinched, turning to face him. She had barely realised they had moved; too caught up in her thoughts. "You don't really have anything to get from your office, do you?"

"No." She admitted quietly; her gaze dropping back to the trees that were rushing past.

"I didn't think so." His voice was still gentle, but there was an undercurrent of amusement running through it to.

He didn't speak again until he had stopped the car just outside of Main Street, getting out and walking round to open the door for her when she showed no sign of moving. "Come on."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her from the car. They moved unseen through the tourists who were milling between the shops and restaurants; the attractions having closed a couple of hours previous. It was only when they rounded the corner past the Mosasaur (which Claire found far less creepy in the light of the day) that she realised where he was taking her.

She felt some of the tension begin to slide from her body as she followed him up the stairs to the T-Rex viewing room, wordlessly handing him her security pass when they reached the door. They moved inside, settling in front of the glass the same as they had the week they first met. It seemed so long ago now; it was hard for Claire to believe that it was barely a month and a half ago.

The T-Rex was in the furthest corner of her paddock; she was barely visible to them through the thick foliage but Claire kept her eyes fixed on her regardless. Owen reached out, settling an arm around her waist. Some of her earlier panic had dissipated now they were alone; the familiar comfort she felt at being around Owen seeping in and she felt her confidence returning.

"Who's Beth?" She asked hesitantly, breaking the silence.

"Beth is…She's my ex-fiancé." Claire's sharp intake was audible, filling the quiet room. Owen's voice was low and hesitant, barely even carrying over to her. "We met when I was in college. She was a kindergarten teacher. Beth was probably the sweetest, most innocent person I'd ever met. We both grew up in a small town; all we grew up wanting was to get a job, meet someone, get married and start a family. I thought that was going to be my life for a while; we were together for 9 years."

Jealousy rose up in Claire and she tried to press it down. She had no right feeling that way; not about someone Owen was with before he even met her. However, there was something in his tone of voice when he spoke about her, almost a wistfulness that had her doubting whether he was really over her.

"Why did you break up?" She asked; pleased that her voice seemed vaguely normal apart from a slight crack.

"I changed." He sighed heavily. "It sounds like such a cliché but the what I saw on tour…no one can see that and be the same after. I may have been with Beth for 9 years but for the last 4 I barely saw her…every time I came home, it was like coming home to a stranger."

"You sound like you regret it." She protested weakly. "And you never told me about her."

"Everyone has things which are just theirs." He practically snapped the words out and Claire visibly flinched away from him. She had never heard him direct anger towards her, but then she supposed she had never really ventured into sensitive subject matter; she always preferred to avoid emotional confrontation if she could.

She could see why he got annoyed at her. He was always so patient with her; the amount of things she kept to herself was almost too long to list, in spite of the fact that she was more open with Owen than in any relationship previous. He never once questioned her when she refused to answer a question, only shrugging and telling her it was okay to have things they didn't talk about.

"Sorry." She breathed out and he shook his head slightly, any anger in him seeming to deflate, replaced by his usual weariness. "It was a bit hypocritical."

He squeezed her hip dismissively and she relaxed marginally as he contemplated her earlier question. "I regret the way I did it: in a letter." He let out a humourless chuckle. "She deserved better. But I don't regret breaking up with her. If I didn't, I never would have met you."

A smile finally creeped onto his face, bringing a hand up to trace his thumb over her cheek lightly. She sunk her teeth into her lip, blinking up at him; the raw emotion in his expression almost taking her breath away. "Owen."

"You overheard everything, didn't you Claire?" She nodded cautiously. "I meant it."

She let out a breath, turning away from him and glancing back at the T-Rex who had moved to the other side of the paddock. "I don't want to be a second choice…someone who you're with because you feel you only deserve damaged or something."

"Claire. Look at me." He pleaded, his hand tightening on her hip. "I love you. For no other reason other than that you're _you_."

"I'm not that special." She tried to keep her voice as level as possible, fighting against the instinct to run. "Why me?"

He chuckled, pulling her fully against him when he realised she wasn't running away. "You're _real_ ; you're utterly confusing. Every time I think I've got you figured out you say something that throws me. You seem to understand me in a way that no one else does these days. And I think you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen."

She blushed, kicking her heels off absently. "You're crazy."

"Perhaps." He poked her ribs lightly and a breathy giggle escaped her. "I'm right though."

She brought a hand up to his face, cupping it softly and running a thumb over his cheek. He was so utterly genuine that it made her heart flutter alarmingly; no one had ever said anything like that to her and meant it. It put her on edge; she was convinced it was too good to last. Only that night, with Owen's arm around her, his hand twisted in her hair and the easy grin on his face, she didn't want to think about all the ways it could end; all she wanted was to enjoy that moment.

Claire closed the distance between them; pressing her lips eagerly against his. She pulled his bottom lip lightly, grazing her teeth against it briefly as she felt his hand flex against her lower back. She raised herself up on her knees, twisting so she could get closer to him. The position was uncomfortable but she couldn't bring herself to care; not when his hand slipped under the hem of her skirt, his fingers tracing tantalising patterns over the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.

A shadow fell over them and they froze, pulling slightly away from each other. She turned her head and saw the T-Rex stood with her eye pressed against the glass and she automatically stilled her movements, still half on top of Owen. A giggle fought its way up inside her at the absurdity of the situation (not many people could say they were interrupted from making out with their boyfriend by an extinct predator after all).

When the dinosaur had lost interest the laugh broke free, tears rolling down her cheeks as she grew breathless, a wide smile on her face. Owen's deep chuckle soon joined hers, smothered slightly as he pressed kisses to her neck.

"Cock-blocked by Rexie…Who'd have thought it?"

She rolled her eyes at his comment but a smirk was on his face and she couldn't help but feel grateful for the levity the Rex had provided. She kissed him, smiling against his mouth, another giggle escaping her as he pulled her onto his lap.

"We were going to go to the beach tomorrow, you coming?" He asked, his fingers still softly tracing her sides, causing her to squirm on top of him.

"Your sister _hates_ me." Claire pouted dramatically, fluttering her eyelashes as she enjoyed the chuckle her actions elicited.

"She just doesn't know you." He protested, ignoring her eye roll. "Please come."

She smiled softly, unable to resist the pleading look on his face. She pressed her lips to his for a brief kiss. "Okay."

His expression broke out into a broad grin at her acceptance and she raised her hand to play with hair at the base of his neck. She may not have said it to him, she may barely even be able to _think_ it, but she couldn't deny it to herself: she loved him too.

* * *

The atmosphere in the trailer that night was tense; all of them retreating straight to bed, resolving to clear the air in the morning. Claire tossed and turned, the events from the evening playing on her mind causing sleep to evade her, even with Owen's hand running through her hair and the even rise and fall of his chest under her head.

The morning came with the three of them seemingly avoiding the events of the previous night, getting ready with nothing more than awkward conversation about their day ahead. It was only when they piled into Claire's car on the way to the beach that the tense atmosphere between the siblings began to dissolve; the excitement of spending a day sunbathing and swimming clearly winning over any arguments they were having.

That was until Claire's phone went off. She ignored it the first 2 times it rang; her hands tensed on the steering wheel as she fought against every instinct in her body to drop everything and take it. The third time it rang Owen checked the caller ID and her impulse to answer it grew even stronger when she found out it was her assistant. A part of her was convinced that if she ignored this one call, Megan would see she cared about more than just her job (the other part of her thought that Megan _might_ have a point considering answering the phone was all she could think about).

It was when they pulled up in the beach parking lot and her phone rang a fourth time that Owen shoved it in her hand. "Answer it."

"I don't have to." She protested as it went to voicemail yet again. She wasn't convinced she sounded that genuine, but she hoped the effort was at least appreciated.

"Claire." He chastised affectionately, rolling his eyes at her. "It's Zara. It could be important."

"It's my day off." She didn't know why she was still arguing with him, not when he was giving her an easy out to do what she wanted. Only she did: Megan's proclamation that she was selfish running around her head on repeat, Owen's own confession chasing it round.

He leaned forward and kissed her softly, rubbing his thumb lightly over the freckles that were visible on her cheek. "Answer it then come find us. I'm sure you won't be too long."

He was out the car with Megan before she had time to protest again and it turned out he was right; she was finished not even 15 minutes later. The call was about some trivial paperwork mixup and, after she stressed to Zara that the wrong signature being on the bottom of the spending report really didn't qualify for _four_ missed calls on a Sunday, she resolved the problem easily, hanging up the phone, opening the door and reluctantly leaving her air conditioned car.

She walked out onto the beach, eyes scanning the small clusters of tourists for Owen's familiar face, frowning when she couldn't spot him nor Megan. Her eyes flitted over the sea and she smiled as she caught sight of the pair of them.

In spite of being surrounded by families with young children they were acting like the biggest kids there. She was surprised she hadn't noticed them immediately; their laughter carrying over all the other sounds as they took turns trying to pull each other under the water.

She located the belongings they had spread out and sat down on the towel, before stripping off her sun dress. She was glad to be out of it; she felt uncomfortable in the floaty black dress even though Owen's jaw had dropped when he saw her in it that morning, his hand fisting in the loose material as he eagerly covered her lips with his.

The problem was the dress wasn't _her._ At least not the woman she'd become accustomed to being after college, tailored suits and business dresses becoming so familiar they were almost like a second skin. In her time with Owen she had probably spent more time in casual clothes than she had in the 10 years prior and they still felt foreign against her skin.

The offending dress (and the black string bikini she had on under it) was bought at Karen's insistence. Her sister had dragged her out shopping when she had visited Claire upon finding out about her promotion, insisting that as she was moving to a tropical island the beach would be like a second home to her. It was safe to say she couldn't have been more wrong; this visit being the first time she had set foot on the sand in her 6 months on Isla Nublar.

She retrieved her sunglasses out of her bag, pushing the oversized frames onto her face, before looking back out at them, surprised to see Megan staring at her. The other woman smiled and waved, Claire hesitantly raising her hand in response. To her surprise, she started heading towards her, leaving Owen talking to a group of kids as she headed to shore, settling on the towel next to Claire.

"He still acts like he's 10 years old." Megan laughed in lieu of a greeting, nodding towards her brother who had engaged in what appeared to be an elaborate game of frisbee.

She forced a laugh in return; her smile only reaching her eyes when she glanced back at Owen, who had a goofy smile so wide she could see it from the shore.

"I'm sorry." Megan blurted suddenly and Claire's gaze flicked back to her. The woman looked nervous; her easy confidence fading away for the first time since Claire had met her. "What I said about you was unfair. I, um, I don't really know you."

Claire dug her hand into the sand, lifting up a handful and watching it sift through her fingers. "It's okay." She replied awkwardly, her teeth finding her lip. "You were just looking out for your brother."

"Yeah." Megan let out a sigh, looking younger than her 30 years. "My mom's worried about him. He doesn't call, hasn't even been home since his before his second tour 2 years ago. It's why I came out here. He's not the same person he was before; I knew that before I came but…it's different in person."

"Must be hard." She replied uselessly. She hated emotional conversations and reassurances at the best of time, but talking about Owen like this, without his knowledge, was even worse.

"You make him happy, you know?" She shrugged. "That's good enough for me."

A smile pulled at the corner of the mouth, her heart warming at the statement. "He makes me happy too." She replied honestly.

They fell into a comfortable silence, both of them watching Owen playing in the sea. A shadow fell over Claire and she blinked up at the figure, raising a hand to her forehead to block the glare from the sun.

"Miss Dearing." The man greeted and she frowned up at him, trying to place him as Megan glanced between them curiously.

He shifted slightly, coming into focus as he blocked the sun. She smiled when she recognised who it was. "Larry."

The security guard was probably the only person who would recognise her in her current attire, having seen her in her silk robe and glasses with her hair wild more times than she could count. She doubted the rest of the park's staff would believe that she was sat on the beach, hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, instead of in the office.

"I, um, are you okay? Only I haven't seen you around in a while and I was beginning to get concerned."

She smiled at the sentiment. Even though she never spoke a single word to him, only nodding in greeting, she did have a soft spot for him, having passed him every night for 3 months. It was sweet that he was worried. "I'm fine, thank you Larry. Just got a new night time routine."

"Good to hear. Well, take care Miss Dearing."

"You too." She offered him a soft smile as he walked away, an awkward wave thrown in her direction.

"He likes you." Megan replied with a grin, her teasing expression so similar to her brother's that Claire did a double take.

"He does not!" She protested immediately.

"He does so." She giggled and Claire was reminded of spending time with Karen when she was younger, a melancholy feeling overtaking her as she realised how much she missed her.

Owen's arm wrapped around her waist and she jumped in surprise, squirming away from him as he pressed his wet body against her. "Get away from me." She huffed. "You're all wet."

He only tightened his grip on her, fingers digging into her hips. "Who was that guy?"

She tipped her head back and looked at his expression, a frown deepening on his face. Her eye caught Megan's and a slow smile grew across her face. "Oh my God. You're jealous."

He opened his mouth to protest but his sister cut in before he could get a word out. "You so are. This is brilliant."

"I am not." He muttered weakly, ducking his face against Claire's shoulder as the two girls laughed at him. "Even if I was: can you blame me? Not when she looks as good in a bikini as she does."

A blush grew across her cheeks as Megan's laughter increased in volume, clearly enjoying both of their embarrassment. "He was just one of the night security guards. Used to see him on the way to Rexie." She reassured him, linking her fingers with his. "He's got nothing on you."

She noticed the broad grin across his face and she glanced at him suspiciously. "You called her Rexie."

"I did not!" She protested immediately, squirming as he poked her ribs.

"You did." He chuckled, kissing her neck softly. "Admit it."

She shook her head but leant into his kiss involuntarily and this time when she spotted Megan watching them, the woman had a soft smile on her face.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait on this one- I've been super busy. Thank you for everyone who is still reading and reviewing; all your feedback really does mean the world! Glad you all enjoyed Owen's backstory as well!**

 **This one is a bit of a filler but I felt it set up some important things for the future. Still have no idea how long this will be, but I will definitely be continuing through an AU JW and depending on how it goes, potentially FK. Let me know what you think or what you want to see; I appreciate it! x**

* * *

 _Chapter 9_

* * *

After Megan went home their lives slipped back into the easy routine they'd established, both of them curling up in the hammock after dropping her at the dock. Their limbs were tangled together, his hand anchored in her hair, lips against her temple.

"I've missed this." Claire sighed contentedly, pressing her face into the crook between his neck and collarbone, feeling his answer chuckle rumbling through her.

"It's only been a few days." She huffed against him, elbowing him in the gut cutting his laughter off. Owen ran his fingers fully through her hair, his expression softening. "But I've missed this too. I like having you to myself."

"Are you going to miss her?" She asked, teeth sinking into her lip as she tipped her head back to meet his gaze.

She felt selfish admitting that she was glad the girl had gone. She knew how much Megan meant to Owen and yet she was happy that they usually lived thousands of miles apart. Claire knew that if they were both in their usual lives, surrounded by family and loved ones, the two of them would never make it. Their differences would tear them apart. It was one benefit to living on a some what isolated island; life was certainly simpler.

Owen gave a half hearted shrug, jostling her gently. "I love Megan but I'm not sure we'll ever be as close as we once were. Having her around…it's like a reminder of that." She kissed his jaw reassuringly, not able to offer any words. "I like it just being us."

He scraped his fingers over her scalp and she had to resist the urge to purr like a cat against him. He had this ability to make her melt like a puddle into him every time he touched her; never able to get close enough to him, even when she tangled her legs with his and could feel his heart beating under her.

"Megan talked to me on the beach. Apologised for what she said…" She didn't know what possessed her to blurt the information out but the small snort of laughter told her it wasn't news to him. Colour rose to her cheeks as realisation dawned on her. "You told her to."

"Trust me, there's no _telling_ Meg anything." He responded, voice laced with amusement as he pressed a lingering kiss to her temple. "I just spoke to her again. Tried to make her see how much you mean to me; how happy I am with you."

She caught his free hand with hers, tangling their fingers together as an outlet for her nerves. "You are sure you are happy with me, right? I know I can be hard work. I'm a workaholic and too closed off and sometimes I don't know how to have fun-"

"I don't know." He cut her off, a teasing smirk on his face. "I'd say that thing you do with your tongue is pretty _fun._ " She raised her head to glare at him halfheartedly and the smirk transformed into something smaller, more genuine. "Claire, you have no idea how happy you make me. I _love_ you."

The forceful tone of his voice hit her and her response was caught in her throat. Her brain was screaming at her to return the sentiment because, damn it, she loved him too but she couldn't get her mouth to form the words, instead letting them die right on the tip of her tongue. She briefly wondered if it bothered him, the fact she hadn't said those three little words (that seem so monumentally big) back to him, or if he _knew,_ just like he always did, that she felt the same.

She gave him a small self deprecating smile. "Apparently, I'm insecure as well."

He rewarded her small joke with a chuckle, causing her to shiver as it rumbled through her body. "I will be forever grateful that Rexie was being enough of a shit they needed an extra pair of hands for a few weeks."

"Don't call her that." She chastised him, absently wondering at which point she stopped referring to dinosaurs as 'assets' and started feeling protective over them instead. Probably around the time she decided to watch a T-Rex at night instead of trying to counting sheep. Or when a ridiculously handsome ex-Navy guy swanned into her life and took over.

"I knew you liked dinosaurs really." He teased, squeezing her fingers lightly. "My raptors are due to hatch next week."

"I know."

She could almost hear his eye roll. "Of course you do. You're Claire Dearing; you know everything around here."

"Not everything." She protested, feeling irrationally defensive at his words. It wasn't like he meant it as a dig. It was mostly true, after all. It was her job to know all the important events going on around the park and Claire was never one to do things by half; she even knew most of the not so important details.

"Most things." He acquiesced, a teasing tone still in his voice, not fazed by her snappy comment at all. He was probably used to them by now. "I was going to ask you to come along."

A deep frown formed on her face and she tipped her head back so she could meet his gaze. "To the raptors hatching?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Have you ever seen a dinosaur hatch? Or anything hatch. It's amazing, seeing this tiny thing experience the world for the first time."

"I suppose I could come." She replied skeptically. She wasn't sure she would find it as magical as Owen was making it out to be: stuck in a lab surrounded by scientists, handlers and God knows who else just desperate for a glimpse. Still, she could hear the excitement in his voice as he spoke about it and she couldn't bring herself to let him down. "Simon will be thrilled when he hears I'm finally taking an interest in the assets."

"Dinosaurs." He corrected automatically, before seeing the smirk pulling at the corner at her mouth, realising she was teasing him. He dug his fingers into her ribs, tickling her until she dissolved into breathless laughter, begging him to stop.

"I'm really glad you're going to be there." He muttered and his face was so close that she could see every detail, even with the only light coming from inside the bungalow. She raised her hand, fingers skimming over the light stubble on his cheeks, fighting against the lump of emotion she felt rising in her throat. "Means a lot."

She cleared her throat awkwardly, meeting his earnest gaze. "If you want me there, I'll be there." It was as close to a promise on the future as she could offer and it seemed like it was enough for Owen because before she knew it his hand was curled behind her head and his lips were pressed hungrily to hers.

Claire barely missed a beat before she curled her fist into his shirt, pressing herself into him the best she could in the small hammock. She moved her other hand to cup his face, a small moan escaping her as he tugged on her hair, forcing her head back so he could press hot kisses to her throat. She ground down on his leg that had found its way between hers as he grazed his teeth over her pulse point; she felt so much need for him running through her, burning hard wherever his hands moved, that she wasn't sure how she didn't just explode.

"How about we go to bed?" He suggested as he pulled back; his voice was rough, edged with the arousal that was obviously pressed against her, sending shivers running down her spine.

She blinked down at him with hooded eyes. "That, Mr Grady, is the best idea you've ever had."

* * *

Claire barely saw Owen that week. In fact, she hadn't seen him since the night his sister left when he text to say the raptors were going to hatch; their only communication being hurried phone calls when they each had a few minutes to spare.

He had been busy finalising the paddock and all the training plans after his 3 days off, thrown head first into last minute work before the raptors hatched. She saw a glimpse of their future during this time; saw what it would be like when he became a full time handler.

She had seen the training plan (actually she had sat through countless meetings where they went over every single tiny detail) and she knew that most of the programme hinged on the lead behaviourist having as much physical contact with the raptors in the first few months as possible. She could feel their cosy, laid-back evenings about to slip away; her evenings spent sitting on his porch, wrapped up in his arms on the hammock, sharing a beer. She already missed them.

Claire knew it was hypocritical, giving how often she worked late into the night, cancelling on plans at the last minute and bringing paperwork home on the weekend. She liked knowing though, that when she did have a free moment or evening or day Owen would be there. It was unbelievably selfish but she had got used to cramming every free moment of her life with _Owen_ and she didn't want to have to give that up.

In the days since she last saw him, she too had been full on at work. Simon had approached her Monday morning with some crazy plan that the lab cooked up, full of enthusiasm and excitement, his eyes glinting in the same manner of a child let loose in a candy store. He was convinced that it would solve the declining interest problem and she had resist the urge to purse her lips and scream that they weren't _there yet._

That wasn't what Masrani wanted from her though, not what he hired her for. So instead she fixed her best business smile on and promised to look over the proposal. She did casually mention whether it was the right time to start a new project, what with the velociraptor project only launching this week.

He pointed out how the increase of investors that that project brought in wouldn't be worth a damn if they couldn't increase the amount of people coming in. The raptors were only a research project, after all. She had given him another smile, murmuring an 'of course' as he retreated out the office, still clutching the proposal in her hand.

She spent the rest of the week staying late after she finished all the day to day work she had, pouring over the paperwork she had been given trying to work out whether a project like that was even feasible. At the end of it she found herself wishing that it wasn't, although she knew it would go ahead before the end of the year. Business is business after all; it didn't care about the sick feeling in her stomach.

By the time her phone lit up with the text from Owen, she was ready to break out of her office to see him again, even if the room would be filled with countless other people and hatching reptiles.

Apparently, she was one of the last people to find out that they were hatching right now as by the time she reached the lab she practically had to force her way through the crowd that had formed.

It was times like these that she was glad for her distinctive red hair and the reputation as a bitch she had acquired in the 6 months she'd worked here; all she needed was to clear her throat pointedly and everyone parted to let her through until she was in the front row, squeezing in between Simon and Dr Wu.

"Claire." Simon greeted in surprise, and Owen looked up from where he was talking to one of the lab technicians, meeting her eye with an excited grin which she couldn't help but return. "I didn't think you'd come for this."

She shrugged, toning her smile down to what she hoped was a normal, polite level as she internally kicked herself; Claire Dearing did not shrug. That was something reserved for when she wasn't the Operations Manager of the world's largest theme park. "I thought it was about time I experienced some of the 'magic' of this place."

She must have been successful at keeping the sarcasm out of her voice as Masrani gave her a pleased smile and an accompanying pat on the shoulder. He had a wonder filled excitement at life that she was sometimes jealous of; his enthusiasm being one of the reasons she accepted the job in the first place, sure it was what made the park so successful. She was half convinced it was eventually going to be its downfall, if the park ever failed.

"I'm glad you're here actually. Henry and I were just discussing the new project. We could use your input." He indicated towards Dr Wu, who nodded and her smile became just a bit more strained. Something about that man, his desire to push science to the limit, set her on edge. "What did you think of the proposal?"

"It was very thorough." She replied carefully, trying not to quash Simon's expectant smile. "Meets all of the recent customer survey suggestions and should definitely bring in a lot of interest. It will be costly though: research, handlers, the paddock, even the _food."_

"The research is already complete." Henry interjected, a slow smile on his face. His words didn't surprise her, but still sent a chill down her spine.

"Still, are we sure a hybrid is the way to go? There are so many unknowns…" She sensed she was fighting a losing battle but yet still wasn't willing to let her reservations go unheard.

"You heard what the consumers want, Claire. Bigger. Stronger. More teeth." His tone was patronising, as though he was explaining things to a child and not someone who had an MBA from Stanford.

"And there are plenty more carnivorous species we have the DNA for that meet that specification. That aren't something we cooked up in a lab."

Henry scoffed loudly. "Everything in this park was cooked up in a lab. All the species are hybrids; all of them have gaps in the genome that we filled with the DNA of other animals. Why do you think the raptors over there aren't going to have feathers? This is the next logical step."

"She'll pay for herself." Simon added, his tone hardening.

She realised that they never wanted her opinion to start with. Just wanted her to smile and nod and say _of course_ to their wild plans and ideas. So she slid her smile back in place, not able to remove the tension from her body as she responded. "I'll put some feelers out with the big investors. See if there would be any interest. Maybe organise some focus groups."

Masrani nodded approvingly, his warmth sliding back in as he waved a hand towards the eggs. There didn't seem to be any indication that a dinosaur would emerge any time soon and had she not been in charge for countless other hatchings to stock the petting zoo, she wouldn't believe they knew when they were going to join the world. "Let's go back to why we're here. Just you wait; you're going to love this."

Owen looked up and Masrani waved him over. He hesitated slightly, raising an eyebrow at Claire who just gave a small shrug in response as he headed over.

"Claire, have you met Owen Grady? He's the lead behaviourist on the project."

Her lips lifted up at the corner in a wry smile as she met Owen's eye. "Once or twice."

"Miss Dearing." Owen greeted, holding out a hand to her with a smirk spread across his face and she couldn't resist lingering in the handshake, squeezing his fingers lightly.

"Mr Grady."

"InGen hire him fresh from the Navy. Stole him from them." Masrani carried on and she bit her tongue to stop herself correcting him; Owen fled from the Navy on his own back almost a year before moving here. She had to remember that she wasn't meant to know this about him. "We should've got there first. He's been helping us out with old Rexie, able to outsmart her easily."

She couldn't resist rolling her eyes at Simon's praise, at the same time feeling undeservedly proud of him. "I've heard great things."

She was sure Owen would be blushing if he had the same complexion as her but instead he shifted, rubbing his neck self consciously. "Just doing my job."

He was interrupted from further praise by a short, dark-haired woman who excitedly announced that it was happening _now_ and a tall dark-skinned man who stood next to her. Barry, her mind supplied, connecting him with the name that Owen had mentioned a few times amongst their late night phone calls.

She half listened to Simon and Henry's excited exchange of commentary but her eyes were fixed on Owen as a crack appeared in the first egg, him crouching in front of it, his expression so full of wonder and caring she could barely tear her eyes off it.

When the first claw appeared through the shell the room fell silent; all hundred eyes fixed upon the tiny creature fighting its way into the world, the occupants all seeming to hold their breath collectively. It used its claw to pull tiny pieces of shell, shaking them free until it was fully emerged; eyes blinking in the harsh light of the lab, skin dull except for a shocking blue strip.

The raptor let out a sharp cry that caused several low murmurs around the room, until Owen reached a finger out. He stroked from the head down the back delicately; it's tiny claws reaching out and grasping his hand, shredding the skin there. The noise stopped though, everyone patting each other on the back in celebration as though they were the reason this tiny creature existed. Although, Claire supposed that most of them were.

"Remarkable." A voice rang out, cutting through the quiet that still enveloped the room. Claire's eyes flicked to the source of the exclamation: Vic Hoskins, the lead of the project.

The man was so smarmy she was always on alert around him, firm in the belief that whoever hired _him_ to be in charge of anything needed their head testing. And she wasn't just saying that because he seemed incapable of tearing his gaze away from her chest during meetings.

He had no concept of his actions having consequences; used to other people doing what he ordered and them clearing up the mess when it all went wrong. He had an ego to rival even the most obnoxious businessmen Claire had met over the years, yet earned none of the respect he believed he deserved. And then there was the fact he called her _'sweetheart'_.

"Told you it was amazing." Masrani interrupted her thoughts, nodding over to wear the small velociraptor was trying to climb its way up Owen's arm; its antics causing small chuckles to echo around the room.

"You were right." She responded with a small smile of her own.

Her eyes weren't fixed on the small dinosaur like everyone else though but instead on the man who was staring at the thing like it was his whole world. She wondered if it was wrong to be jealous of a dinosaur but when he turned his head and grinned at her she felt it fading away.

"I'm going to name her Blue." He announced to the room proudly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Owen! The next one's hatching." Barry called and he turned away but she just caught a glimpse of his smile widening even further.

She watched him repeat his previous actions, crouching and cooing ever so slightly to the emerging creature this time. Her heart warmed as he stole one more glance towards her, just before the first crack appeared. God, she loved this stupidly goofy, caring man.

* * *

Claire had to return to work before the rest of the raptors had hatched, mouthing a 'sorry' in Owen's direction before retreating from the room, dialling Zara's number as soon as she was outside.

She worked late into the night, only pausing when she received a text from Owen, saying he was going to need to stay in the lab with the raptors overnight. She had expected as much but still felt a sinking disappointment, desperate to spend at least a few minutes alone with him.

Instead, she went home alone to her suite and pulled on her pyjamas, inhaling deeply the scent of Owen's shirt, disappointed to find it no longer smelt like him but like the hotel laundry detergent instead. She pulled her silk robe on over the top, reaching for her phone and ordering her usual from room service.

She picked her way through the salad she ordered, suddenly not interested in the food at all. It was late, far too late for her to be eating and she felt so exhausted it seemed to seep right into her bones. She set the unfinished meal aside and crawled beneath the covers, sure she would fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She knew it was be too good to be true though; as soon as she closed her eyes her mind began to whir, suddenly wide awake, no matter how much she tossed and turned. After several hours, she reached out a hand, blearily squinting at her phone's display as she checked the time: still only 3am.

Claire climbed out of bed with a sigh, slipping her flip-flops on and grabbing her security pass automatically. Her feet carried her towards the T-Rex enclosure, working on autopilot from all those months, when she paused, turning towards the lab instead. She scanned her pass and the door to the floor slid open and she found her way to the room in which Owen was sat on the floor in front of a large enclosure with the four raptors in.

"Damn it, Charlie, no!" He scolded them lightly, pulling two of them apart. "Get off your sister."

"Hey." She greeted softly and he jumped at the sound of her voice, tearing his eyes away from the dinosaurs, swearing loudly as one of them took advantage of his distraction by sinking its teeth into his hand.

"I missed ghost Claire." He responded as he wrapped a tissue around his hand, standing up and heading towards her. "What you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep." She shrugged as he wrapped an arm around her waist, careful to keep his bleeding palm away from her white robe. She stretched onto her tiptoes to press her lips against his. "I missed you."

He gave her a crooked smile, pulling her closer to him for a longer kiss. "Come here."

He led her to a large couch that was in the corner of the room with a pillow and blanket on, clearly set up for him spending the night. He wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, sitting down and tucking her next to him, stroking his hand through her hair.

"Try to get some sleep. I'll sit with you for a bit."

"I'm fine." She protested as her body betrayed her, a large yawn escaping her. "What are they like?"

"They're little shits." He chuckled deeply, still maintaining his hand's soothing motion. "I think I might be in over my head. They are going to be a handful and so much work but its going to be worth it: I can tell. Cute, aren't they?"

"They look like lizards." She replied diplomatically, feeling herself begin to drift off; the familiar warmth of his body relaxing her. He released an indignant snort at that, brushing his lips over her temple. "I can't go to sleep here, someone might see me. Not very Operation's Manager-like."

"You're not talking much sense. You need to sleep." She opened her mouth to protest and he closed it again with his finger, ignoring her glare. "I've got to stay awake for my girls anyway. I'll wake you up in the morning."

"Your 'girls'?" She repeated mockingly.

"Shut up." He tucked the blanket round her further, giving her a final soft kiss. "I love you."

It didn't take her long to drift off to the sound of his voice; a constant flow of stories escaping him in a soft murmur. She wasn't sure if he was talking to her or the raptors, but with the affection in his voice and his strong arms wrapped around her, it was the best night's sleep she had all week.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry once again for the delay- holiday and life and stuff! Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter, sticking with the story even though I'm useless at updating. I'm glad you all love the Owen and Claire I've created as much as me! Hope you all enjoy the next part (it was meant to be all fluff but somehow some drama slipped in there somehow?); please keep the feedback up, I really appreciate it (and I promise I'll be better at updating!) x**

* * *

 _Chapter 10_

* * *

Two weeks after Claire had slipped into the lab in the early hours of the morning, she sat on the steps of Owen's porch sipping a beer she had retrieved from the fridge.

She knew he was coming home that night; him having text her jokingly mentioning that he was looking forward to sleeping in a bed rather than a couch. That's why she had driven straight there after finishing for the day, eager to spend some time with Owen regardless of the fact he was probably dead on his feet.

She had toyed with the idea of cooking for him so he had dinner waiting for him but, given her lack of culinary expertise, the chance of anything actually _edible_ being produced was unlikely. Instead she had stopped by the Thai restaurant on Main Street, ordering a wide variety of dishes as she realised she didn't know what Owen liked. In fact, she realised they never had even been on a _proper_ date in the 3 months they'd been together; not the traditional dress up and got to a fancy restaurant type that she was familiar with in previous relationships.

She had shaken that thought from her head as she drove to Owen's bungalow; happy with the way things were between them and deciding that the non-conventional worked well for them. She was disappointed that Owen wasn't already home (she had worked until gone 10pm and she was sure he'd be done before her), but pushed open the door to his trailer and set the food down (she was going to have words with him when he did get home about _security_ and how he shouldn't leave the door unlocked).

Claire had a shower while waiting, pulling her pyjamas on before routing through his fridge for some wine, sighing when she found it empty of everything except beer. She reluctantly opened one, grabbing a box of pad thai and settling on the porch and waited.

She waited until she was forced to move by the chill in the air and the ache in the bottom of her spine. She was going to insist that Owen bought a table and chairs for outside when she next saw him; they couldn't keep eating on the porch steps forever. A small smile crossed her face as she realised that she automatically was including herself in Owen's future and she absently wondered at what point imagining her future with someone didn't send her into a blind panic.

Claire pulled the old blanket off the back of Owen's couch before grabbing a fresh beer and heading back outside climbing into the hammock, curled up into the slightly itchy fabric as she responded her work emails to pass time.

Her eyes flew open as she woke with a start to the rumble of Owen's motorbike pulling up. She hadn't meant to drift off but she clearly had; the edge of the blanket slightly damp from the bottle of beer she had tipped over.

She watched as Owen made his way up the stairs. His weary expression was clear in the moonlight and he looked more tired than she had ever seen him, almost like he could fall asleep as he was walking. Yet, underneath it all, she could see the happiness in his face; the contentedness he gained from working with the raptors, with _any_ animals. She recognised it from the late nights spent discussing the T-Rex.

"Hey." She whispered as he reached the top step and he flinched as her voice carried over to him, squinting in the direction of the hammock.

"Claire?" He headed over to her, kicking his boots off and climbing into the hammock next to her. "What are you doing here? It's like 3am."

"Waiting for you." She curled up into his side, hooking her leg around his waist to hold him as close as possible. "Your shirt smells." She muttered, wrinkling her nose.

"Sorry." He detangled himself for her for long enough to pull his shirt off, it barely hitting the deck before she was back on top on him, a lazy kiss pressed to his chest. "I didn't realise you were coming."

"I've missed you. I haven't seen you in two weeks. Not outside of work, at least."

He sighed, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "I'm sorry. I know I haven't been the best boyfriend these last few weeks. Work is just…insane."

"You don't have to apologise. I understand." She really did understand; she was just used to being on the other side of it. She was a workaholic, after all. She just wasn't expecting that she would miss him so _damn_ much. "The raptors are a priority."

"Hey." He tugged her so she was on top of him and she marvelled slightly at how she fitted perfectly against him. "You're always going to be my priority."

She swallowed down again the lump in her throat; his emotional declarations always through her for a loop. "As your boss, I have to disagree with that."

He chuckled, tightening his grip on her understanding her need for levity. "You are not my boss. I work for InGen."

She raised her head, a playful smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "I could get your ass fired if I wanted to."

"I don't doubt it. There's nothing Claire Dearing can't do."

She felt her cheeks darken at his words, ducking her head back against his bare chest. "You need a break. You're going to work yourself into the ground."

"Says you." He let out a chuckle, poking her in the ribs lightly. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you've been in the office until all hours of the night."

"It is _a bit_ pot meets kettle." She admitted. "Simon has me working on this new project."

"Oh?"

"It's confidential." She blurted out automatically and silence stretched between them for a moment. "You should take this weekend off."

"I need to be with the raptors." He argued. "And surely you'll be working too."

"That's what Barry and the rest of the team are for. If you don't take a break you're going to make mistakes." She shrugged slightly against him. "And I've got Sunday off. Simon insisted as I've worked every day for over 3 weeks."

"You sound like you really want me to have this weekend off, Miss Dearing?" He questioned, playing with the ends of her hair slightly.

"There's this thing on Saturday night." She tried to sound casual, but she couldn't stop the nerves slipping in.

"This _thing_?" He encouraged gently, his lips brushing over her forehead.

"A fundraiser. Masrani wants me to go to talk to potential investors." She found his hand and linked her fingers through his. "I could use a date."

"You want me to go with you?" He asked, his voice rising in surprise. "Is this the reason Masrani gave you Sunday off?"

She rolled her eyes. "He thinks I need to let my hair down and have fun." She sunk her teeth into her lip and chewed on it absently. "Is that a problem?"

"No!" He protested quickly. "It's just the other day…you pretended like we didn't know each other. I thought you didn't want people to know about us or something."

"We were at work Owen." She raised her head to look him in the eye; a slight frown on her face. "I want you there, if you want to be there? You're not ashamed to be seen with me, are you?"

"God, Claire no!" He sat up quickly, his hands coming up to cup her face. The hammock swung from side to side at the sudden movement and she grabbed onto his shoulders to steady herself. "You know I think you're amazing. I would tell everyone I met if I thought you'd let me: the amazingly gorgeous Claire Dearing is _my_ girlfriend."

He had a teasing smirk on his face but she could see the seriousness in his expression. Her cheeks burned at his words and she hit his shoulder lightly. "Stop it."

"Never." He grinned pulling her to him so his lips were pressed against hers, moving his hands from her face to her hair. Her stomach fluttered at his actions and she felt like her heart was going to soar right out of her chest.

"You'll come to the fundraiser then?" She murmured against his lips as he pulled away.

"Of course."

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You have to dress up. No board shorts."

He faked an offended expression, holding a hand to his chest. "I do own a suit, I'll have you know!"

"You need a tux." She responded, a wry smile on her face.

"That might be a problem." He admitted with a chuckle, pressing another quick kiss to her lips.

"I'll sort it." Claire promised. "Have you eaten? I brought dinner for you." Owen's smile widened further than she thought was possible and she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "What?"

"God, I love you." He tugged on one of the loose curls that ended up falling in her face. "I'm definitely keeping you around."

* * *

Claire stood in the corner of the ballroom, absently fiddling with the fabric of dark blue dress she wore. She always felt out of place at events like this; parties, whether for work or not, were not her thing. They never had been, even when she was in college. It was one of the reasons she wanted Owen to come with her.

The weekend she had insisted Owen take off had been cut down and cut down until it was only a few hours off for the fundraiser. Then he'd text saying there was some sort of emergency and he was needed but he would meet her there. Fast forward an hour into the night and there was no sign of him. She knew how hard he'd been working but at the same time, stood at the side of the room alone, she couldn't help but feel pissed at him.

She shook herself out of the thoughts and plastered a smile on her face. She was here to work, after all; she was never going to get any investors moping in the corner. So what if Owen hadn't turned up yet: she was the best at her job and she didn't need him by her side to do it.

She flitted from investor to investor, a false smile on her face as she flirted with them; giggling at the right moment and casually laying her hand on their arm, in spite of the way her skin crawled as they leered at her. It always amazed her how she could effortlessly flirt when her job required it but she still was awkward around Owen.

Speaking of Owen, she caught sight of him entering across the room from where she talking to Simon and a representative from Verizon Mobile. They seemed more eager than everyone else she had spoken to that night, almost desperate to be linked to what the lab was claiming would be the most dangerous predator to ever walk the Earth. She didn't like it but she turned on the charm regardless: Masrani paid her to get investors, not to question the moral views behind them.

Owen began heading in their direction and she resolutely ignored him; annoyed that he was over two hours late when he knew how much she wanted him to come. Simon turned around in surprise as he reached the small group, a smile on his face as he clapped Owen on the shoulder.

"Owen! I didn't realise you were invited tonight." He greeted.

Owen shrugged, a grin on his face. He looked uncomfortable in his tux, but also so damn _good_ that Claire was half convinced she was drooling. Or she would be if part of her didn't want to hit him. "Just a plus one."

He indicated towards her and she pursed her lips as everyone's attention turned to her. Owen moved to her side, resting his hand on her back where the dress dipped, leaning to kiss her lightly, a frown on his face as she turned her head so the kiss met his cheek.

"You and Claire?" Simon asked curiously before his face broke out in a wide grin. "That's brilliant! We'll leave you to it."

He led the potential investor away before she could protest leaving her alone with Owen, unable to stop the glare she aimed at him. He moved his hands so they rested on her hips, squeezing lightly until she looked up at him.

"You're annoyed at me." He stated and she just raised an eyebrow in response. "I'm sorry."

She let out a sigh, resting her hand on top of his bicep and rubbing her thumb over it. "Are you though?"

"Yes. I promised you I'd be here. I never want to break a promise to you, Claire." He smiled that goofy grin that made her heart melt in spite of her anger. "You're too important."

"You make it very difficult for me to be pissed off at you." She muttered, stepping closer to him so she had to tip her head back to look at him.

"Good." He dipped his head to capture her lips softly with his. "I'll make it up to you. Be the perfect supportive arm candy."

He threw a wink at her and she rolled her eyes, a smile creeping onto her face. "I've actually had enough of investors and businessmen for tonight. Want to get out of here?"

"I'm wearing a tux especially." He protested, an over dramatic pout on his face.

She couldn't resist a giggle at his ridiculousness as she chided him gently. " _Owen_."

"What do you have in mind?"

* * *

Claire was sure that this was the last place Owen expected her to suggest but she needed a drink and she enjoyed the surprise grin that flicked across his face as she pulled him towards Sunrio Tequila Bar.

He stepped up behind her as she paused to open the door, resting his hands on her hips and tugging her back gently so she was flush against him. He pressed an open mouth kiss to the exposed skin of her neck and she couldn't help the contented sigh that slipped from her lips.

"We're going to be overdressed." He murmured against her skin.

He was right: the bar inside was full of holiday goers and post shift employees. Her floor length dress meant she stuck out like a sore thumb, Owen's tux wasn't any less conspicuous. She felt the eyes on them as soon as they walked in and headed towards the bar and immediately began to regret her decision. She didn't mind people knowing about them but she was never one for being the centre of attention. In the next moment, however, Owens hand found its place on the exposed skin of her back and she felt herself relax into him; her worries slipping away as she downed the tequila shot he ordered for her.

He guided them towards a booth in the corner, a couple more tequila shots in hand, as he slid into the seat next to her; his side pressed against her so she could feel the full warm length of his body.

He wordlessly handed her one of the shot glasses and she toyed with it before wrapping her fingers around it firmly and throwing it back, still unable to hide the grimace of distaste that crossed her face.

"You're still mad at me." His voice was a low rumble next to her; his eyes fixed on his still full glass opposed to looking in her direction.

Claire let out a sigh; the harsh gust of breath forcing its way from her lips, still painted blood red from when she had applied her makeup at the start of the night. "I never see you anymore. You're always at work."

Her words used the same tone that a petulant child might use; her hands turning the empty glass over and over in her hand to give herself something, _anything_ to do. Owen ordered a few more shots from a passing waitress, throwing his own tequila back as he waited for the new ones to be brought over.

"One of the first things you told me about yourself, once you knew I knew who you were, was that you were a workaholic. That you'd work all hours of the day, answer calls on your day off, go into work in the middle of the night if you had to. Do you remember what I said to you in response?"

"That you already knew that." She recalls easily. "That you liked me anyway."

He shook his head slightly, throwing back the new shot before turning his head to look at her. His arm was now sling along the back of the booth behind her, fingers toying with the ends of her hair, which hung in loose waves for the occasion.

"Not that I liked you anyway. I liked you _because_ you're you and your dedication to your job, desire to be the best and keep this place going is a huge part of that. It's not a fault to me."

"Right." She dragged the word out slowly, having no idea what his point was as she blinked up at him.

"I like having a purpose and the raptors... they give me that. I thought you'd understand because you're the same."

She understood his sentiment; knew she wasn't in a position to argue. Yet, she could still feel her anger bubbling under the surface. He didn't get to use that as an excuse. "I always come home to you though, Owen. You never have to go weeks without seeing me."

Her words were harsh but quiet, somehow still having the desired effect even in the loud, crowded bar. She saw the guilt flash on his face and she felt a small sense of satisfaction. He opened his mouth to comment and she raised her hand to his, tangling their fingers together and squeezing to cut him off. She used her free hand to drain the alcohol out of the small glass.

She met his gaze unblinkingly, her lip caught between her teeth. "I don't sleep when you're not there."

That was the crux of it really. What had been bothering her so much in his absence from her life these past few weeks. She had come to rely on him; get used to him being around. She had tried everything she used to do before she met him: worked until she felt like she'd drop, sit in the T-Rex viewing room until she could almost predict every move the dinosaur would make, lay in bed and toss and turn until the sun filtered through the curtains. None of it had worked though, and all her body seemed to crave was _him._

She wanted to curl up around him in the tiny hammock on his porch, entwine her limbs with his and feel the steady beat of his heart under her head. She hated it, hated _needing_ someone, and yet she did need him. For more than just sleep.

Owen frowned, moving his hand so it cupped her cheek, his thumb capturing a tear she didn't realise had escaped her eye. "Claire."

He made her name sound so precious and she could listen to the way it fell out of his mouth all day. "It's stupid, I know."

"It's not stupid." He brushed his lips against hers softly and she could smell the tequila on his breath. "I sleep better with you too."

"Just come home at night." She blurted, tightening her grip on his hand. "No matter what time you finish. Just so we can have some time together."

Claire's cheeks darkened at her slight outburst; the tequila shots having more of an effect than she had previously realised. He didn't seem to mind though, a crooked smile crossing his face. "On one condition."

She tipped her head to the side slightly, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Move in with me."

Her breath left her lungs in a whoosh and she was sure her mouth was hanging open. "What?" She managed to croak out.

"Live with me." He stroked her cheek softly. "I want you to live with me."

"How do you always manage to blindside me?" She mused, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. He shrugged, not tearing his eyes from her. "In your trailer?"

Owen chuckled, shooting her a weird look. "Where else?"

She could hear the drunken slur to his voice, see the eagerness in his expression and perhaps if she had drunk a few tequilas less, or if she had missed him less desperately, she would refuse. Instead, she pursed her lips together and nodded sharply.

"Okay." She managed to whisper. "I'll move in with you."

The answering smile she got pushed any lingering doubts she had firmly from her mind.


End file.
